Lobos' exhibition vs. Fort Lewis to briefly reunite club teammates
Nov. 3—Jaelyn Bates and Natalia Chavez might experience a bit of deja vu Thursday night. So might Lanae Billy.
Bates and Chavez, freshmen on the University of New Mexico women's basketball team, will take on an old friend and foe when the Lobos host Fort Lewis College for their second and final exhibition contest of the season. Billy is starting her freshman season with the Skyhawks, but squaring off against Bates and Chavez at the Pit won't be anything new.
Billy was a two-time all-state selection at Piedra Vista High before moving to Durango for college. She occasionally faced Bates and Chavez when the two starred for Volcano Vista, including at the Pit when the Hawks topped the Panthers in a 2020 Class 5A semifinal.
But the three guards have spent more time as teammates than as foes, and they've enjoyed considerable success together. Last summer they won a national championship at the Native American Basketball Invitational tournament in Phoenix as part of a New Mexico Elite squad coached by Bates' father, Barry.
Thursday's exhibition game will be their first time squaring off as college players, and Bates says she has mixed feelings about it.
"It hurts me personally to play against friends," she said. "I'd rather be friends all the time. But sometimes you can't be friends on the court. I know (Billy) will be focused and ready to play and we'll be ready, too."
Bates, Chavez and their 13 Lobos teammates all figure to see action as UNM gets a final tuneup for Monday's regular-season opener at Southern Utah. All 15 Lobos saw action in Saturday's 84-75 exhibition win over West Texas A&M, a game that remained competitive into the fourth quarter. UNM coach Mike Bradbury hopes Thursday's game will allow his team's newcomers to play more extended minutes.
"That's the plan," he said. "We're still trying to firm up our rotation outside of the top six (players). They can all play, but we need two or three (to) step up and be more consistent."
Calming nerves is part of that process. Bates admitted she was "super nervous" during warmups and her first collegiate game action Saturday.
"Just taking my first shot was really nerve-wracking," she said. "I was so glad to see it go in. I felt confident and comfortable after that."
Saturday's outing brought different concerns to senior Amaya Brown, an Albuquerque native playing her first college game at the Pit after four years at Florida State.
"I felt like I was a little rusty," Brown said. "I hadn't played a game in almost a year. But I was really happy being back in the Pit, playing in front of my dad and my friends."
Brown also liked what she saw from UNM's four freshmen, Bates, Chavez, Brooke Berry and Hannah Robbins.
"I thought they played really hard," she said. "They didn't look too nervous or overwhelmed. Overall, I thought our chemistry was really good. That's the biggest thing when the season's just getting started."
SCOUTING REPORT: Unlike West Texas A&M, Fort Lewis is coming off a difficult 2021-22 season (2-25) and has a number of new players. Billy is one of nine underclassmen on the roster.
UNM will be the third exhibition opponent for the Skyhawks, who lost last week at Utah State (74-45) and Utah Valley (57-48). Forward Kelsey Sorenson had a double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) against Utah State. Billy scored 15 points over in the two games.
Fort Lewis has three additional players with New Mexico ties. Senior Alyssa Adams, who started every game and averaged 8.3 points last season, is from Edgewood and played for Moriarty High. Junior Ember Cervantes is from Mescalero and played prep basketball at Tularosa. Senior Brooke McGee is from Albuquerque but played high school basketball in Fort Worth.
Thursday
Exhibition: Fort Lewis at UNM women, 7 p.m., 610 AM/95.9 FM
