Lobos Sign Aussie Ahlise Hurst for 2018-19

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Mike Bradbury looked to the west in signing his first 2018-19 Spring recruit.  For his second, he looked really far west.  Ahlise Hurst, a 5-9 guard from Bendigo, Australia has signed to play with the University of New Mexico for the 2018-19 season.  She joins Nike McClure, a 6-3 graduate transfer from Washington State as Spring signees for the 2018-19 season.
 
Hurst has spent plenty of time gaining international experience in Australia, playing for the U-17 Australian national team in the FIBA U17 Women’s Oceania Championships in Guam last July.  Last month she was named to the Australian national squad for the FIBA U18 Asian Championships. 
 
“We are excited about the addition of Ahlise to our program,” said head coach Mike Bradbury.  “She’s a skilled scorer that has high level experience. We expect Ahlise’s offensive repertoire to be a perfect fit in our uptempo system.”
 
She was one of four players from the WNBL to make the Australian Gems squad.  Hurst played last season with the Bendigo Spirit.  Hurst WNBL season was highlighted with a stellar game against Townsville, scoring a career-high 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including hitting her lone three-pointer in the game. 
 
Hurst as a 14-year old burst onto the Australian national scene when she was selected for Australia’s National Performance Program after her play in the Australian Junior Basketball Championships.
 
The Lobos are coming off a record-setting season in which the program set records for scoring average, total points, field goals and three-pointers made.  UNM went 25-11, tying for the third-most wins in school history, and advanced to the third round of the WNIT, UNM’s best postseason run since 2009.  The Lobos also opened the season with a school-record 11-game winning streak and nearly broke into the Top 25 polls.