Written by: Teddy Feinberg/Sun-News Sports Editor
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State women's basketball team finds itself in unfamiliar territory entering their game tonight against Utah State in Logan, Utah. That is, coming off a loss.
NMSU dropped its most recent game, a 57-50 defeat at the hands of Louisiana Tech. It was just the fourth loss of the season for the Aggies and the team's first within the Western Athletic Conference. NMSU stands at 13-4 overall, 3-1 in the WAC, good enough for second in the conference behind Fresno State (10-8, 5-0).
"I thought even leading up to Louisiana Tech, with the practices, that we took a big step backwards," NMSU coach Darin Spence said. "We didn't have that sense of urgency that we've had all year. It's human nature. Trying to win our sixth game in a row, that's tough to do. And I think the loss snapped us back to reality."
The Aggies led throughout the majority of the game but fell off in the second half. The Bulldogs used an 11-0 burst in the final 10 minutes of action to take the lead and, eventually, the contest.
"We started to get lackadaisical," forward Sherell Neal said. "We can't let that happen. If we get off to a quick start, we have to keep that intensity and not let it drop down. That is our big challenge."
Spence said it seemed as if his team was distracted, drifting in and out throughout the course of the game on the offensive end and not playing tough defense along the interior. That, he said, needs to change quickly and believes it will.
"It refocused us and got us back to our identity that we worked on all year long," he said. "We had a chance to win that game. We gotta respect everybody we're playing against and keep our edge. Do what we do well."
That is, play defense. NMSU leads the WAC, giving up just 61.7 points per game. The Aggies have held opponents to 35.3 percent shooting from the field and are first in the conference in blocked shots per game with 4.94 per contest.
Neal, who anchors the "D", does heavy lifting on the offensive end as well. The senior had another big effort against Louisiana Tech, going for 22 points and 12 boards. It was Neal's 10th double-double of the season. She has had combined double-digit scoring and rebounding games in nine of the NMSU's last 11 contests.
"It starts with her," Spence said. "It always does. She was the only one looking to get aggressive (against La. Tech). She finds a way. We always want to go through her, get her involved early. Hopefully, she gives us a lift."
Utah State enters tonight's contest with a 6-11 record, 2-3 in the WAC. The UtAgs are on a three-game slide, a streak that began when they lost to New Mexico State 71-56 on Jan. 12 in Las Cruces. All three losses have come on the road, as USU tries to get back on track on their home floor this evening.
"I don't think it even plays into the picture," Spence said of Utah State's recent skid. "We're back focused on ourselves."
Guard Danyelle Snelgro leads the UtAgs with 10.5 points per game. USU ranks seventh in the conference offensively, averaging just 62.5 points per contest.
Tonight's game can be heard on KSNM-AM 570. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
Notes: Neal currently stands 11th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,227 points. She's in third place in rebounding, averaging 8.4 boards per game in her career. She also needs four more blocked shots to become the school's all-time leader in that category....NMSU leads the all-time series with USU, holding a 14-9 record against the UtAgs. NMSU is 4-6 all-time in Logan....The Aggies will continue their road swing on Saturday, when they go to Reno, Nev., to take on the Nevada Wolf Pack.
