Lobos and Aggies meet for first time in 2019-20

NEW MEXICO LOBOS 3-0	NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES 1-2
Sunday, November 17 | 2 p.m. (MT)    Pan American Center | Las Cruces, N.M. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LISTEN LIVE | UNM NOTES | NMSU NOTES

Tipping Off
For the first time this season, the University of New Mexico women’s basketball team will take to the road as they are set to head south on I-25 for the first installment of this year’s Rio Grande Rivalry, presented by Nusenda Credit Union.

The Lobos will be heading into the in-state rivalry against New Mexico State with a 3-0 overall record while the Aggies will come in at 1-2 overall.

Entering the game on Sunday, the Lobos are coming off of their best all-around performance of the young season as they led all but 39 seconds of the game against Houston, and built a lead as large as 27 points. The Aggies, on the other hand, are looking to rebound from a 63-57 loss at home to UTEP this past Wednesday. That game between NMSU and UTEP was a closely-contested back-and-forth affair that saw the Miners close out the final 2:55 of the game on an 8-0 run to secure the win.

In a rivalry that dates back to 1975, this will only be the seventh time that UNM head coach Mike Bradbury will have faced the Aggies and just the fifth time for NMSU head coach Brooke Atkinson. Since Bradbury took over the Lobo women’s basketball program in 2016-17, the Lobos are 5-1 with four of those wins coming in succession leading into Sunday’s game.
 
Howell(ing) at the Moon
After sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, Najala Howell is finally able to hit the hardwood for the Lobos and she has been an instant contributor. Having started in all three games thus far, Howell is the third-leading scorer at 14.3 pgg and also averaging 6.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, and 2.0 spg. Her best game as a Lobo came against Houston as the DeSoto, Texas native went off for 26 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Downtown from Down Under
In her freshman year, Ahlise Hurst showed flashes of being a weapon behind the arc, but lacked consistency as she shot 27% (49-of-183) from deep. This year, however, Hurst has got off to an incredibly efficient start as she has made 14 three-pointers and is knocking them down at a 56% clip (14-of-25). In two of three games this season, Hurst has made six three-pointers and is currently tied for the team-lead in scoring at 16.3 ppg.

Career Effort for Everett
A year ago in her true freshman campaign, Jayla Everett established herself as one of the top scorers in the Mountain West and that led to MW Freshman of the Year honors. Just two games into her sophomore season, Everett posted a new career-high in scoring as she went for 29 points against Northern Arizona. Everett’s previous career-high was 25 points, done against Auburn in the Lobos’ second game of the season a year ago.

Block Party Has a New Host
Last year there was a standing invitation for all Lobo Fans to attend a Block Party hosted by senior transfer Nike McClure. Individually, McClure led the MW and ranked 33rd nationally in blocks with 67 while the Lobos, as a team ranked seventh in NCAA in blocks with 190. This year it appears as though Antonia Anderson is taking over hosting duties for the block parties. Through three games, Anderson has eight blocks.

Double-Double Tracker
1. Antonia Anderson……….. 14 pts/11rebs……………. vs. NAU (11-8-19)

20-20 vision for Winning
After posting a 24-7 record last season, the Lobos have won over 20 games in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2007-08 – 2008-09 campaigns. The 24 wins this past season were tied for the fifth-most in season in program history. Additionally, the 49 wins the past two seasons are the most since the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons.

By the Numbers 
Here is what is returning and missing for the 2019-20 Lobos.
 

Freshman F(PH)enom
Jayla Everett burst onto the scene last season for the Lobos in her true freshman campaign. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Everett’s rookie year at UNM was one for the record books as she set a new program freshman single-season scoring record with her 417 points scored. Her instant success on the court was also recognized by the Mountain West as she was named the league’s Freshman of the Year. That plaudit was historic for Everett and the Lobos as she became the first player in program history to be named league Freshman of the Year.

Familiar Faces
Lobo fans will be treated to several familiar faces returning to the court that they can cheer for this coming season. The Lobos return six letterwinners from a year ago and all six played at least 26 games last year. Among those returners are: Antonia Anderson, Jaedyn De La Cerda, Jayla Everett, Ahlise Hurst, Shaiquel McGruder, and Aisia Robertson.  

Nothing new when it comes to newcomers
Transfer newcomers under head coach Mike Bradbury have been on a run of remarkable success in his time at UNM. In all three seasons thus far at UNM, Bradbury and the Lobos have possessed the Mountain West Newcomer of the Year. The trend started in 2016-17 when Richelle van der Keijl won the award following her transfer from Wright State. The following season, Latesha Buck garnered the award after transferring from UW-Green Bay. This past season, Kansas transfer Aisia Robertson took home the honor. Looking ahead, the trend very well may extend to a fourth-straight year with transfers Najala Howell, Bride Kennedy-Hopoate and Jordan Hosey all set to play significant minutes in 2019-20.

Ready To Play
After sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, Najala Howell and Bride Kennedy-Hopoate are set to make their official Lobo debuts in 2019-20. Both players with have one final season of eligibility and figure to play a significant role this coming season. Howell, a 5-10 guard transferred from UTEP where she was a three-year starter and averaged 7.5 points per game in 86 career games. Kennedy-Hopoate is transferring from Iowa State where she played one season and averaged 6.7 points per game and hauled in 4.2 rebounds per game. Prior to becoming a cyclone, Kennedy-Hopoate was rated as the No. 1 junior college prospect.

Newcomers to the fold
In addition to the six returning letterwinners from a year ago, the Lobos have bolstered their 2019-20 roster with the addition of eight newcomers. Five of the newcomers hail from the prep ranks and three via transfer. Of the transfers, two were in the program last year, but sat out due to NCAA transfer rules. Among the newcomers fresh to the program are: Andriana Avent, Corina Carter, Celine Dupont, Jordan Hosey, Azaria Robinson, Autumn Watts.

Lobos from near and far
The Lobo women’s basketball roster has a mixture of athletes from near and far on its 2019-20 roster. The Lobos have players from seven different states and three by way of the international route. The Lobos feature players from Alaska, California, Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, and Texas. Additionally, the Lobos have a pair of players from “Down Under” in Australia and one hailing from The Netherlands.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit is nationally recognized as one of the top basketball venues for college basketball. Need proof?! How about Sports Illustrated ranking it as one of the Top-20 sporting venues, of any sport, in the world for the 20th century!

Yes, The Pit is truly a special place, and it has created an unparalleled environment for the New Mexico women’s basketball program over the years. The Lobos have led the Mountain West in attendance every year of the conference’s existence since the 1999-00 season.

Additionally, during that same span, the program has ranked in the Top-20 nationally in attendance in each of those years. Wanna talk records?! The UNM women’s basketball team is an impressive 421-207 at home all-time, a winning percentage of .670
heading into the 2019-20 season.