Lobos back at home for Pack the Pit

NEW MEXICO LOBOS 6-2 (0-1 MW)	WYOMING COWGIRLS 4-3 (1-0 MW)
Saturday, December 7 | 2 p.m. (MT)    Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit | Albuquerque, N.M. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LISTEN LIVE | UNM NOTES | WYO NOTES

Tipping Off
The friendly confines of Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit will be a welcomed venue for the University of New Mexico women’s basketball team as they are set to play Wyoming at home on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.. It will be the Lobos’ first home game since November 12 as they have played five-straight games on the road.

During that lengthy time away, the Lobos went 3-2 with wins against New Mexico State, UTEP and Missouri and losses to #23 West Virginia and Boise State. Prior to going on the road, the Lobos played their first three games of the season at home and were 3-0 in those games, giving them a 6-2 overall record entering Saturday’s game.

The Lobos, who have dropped their last two games, will be looking to get back to their winning ways and even up their conference record against Wyoming.

On the other end of court, the Cowgirls are looking to race out to a 2-0 start to their conference season after taking down Air Force by two points on the road this past Wednesday. Overall, the Cowgirls have a 4-3 record under first-year head coach Gerald Mattinson. Despite being his first season as head coach of the Cowgirls, Mattinson has been with program since 2003 serving as both an assistant coach and associate head coach.
 
Battle in Boise
Earlier than most years, Mountain West play began in December and the first conference game of the season featured a marquee matchup between the University of New Mexico and Boise State women’s basketball teams. Picked to finish first and second respectively in the MW Preseason Predicted Order of Finish, the early season clash lived up to its billing in Boise as the game went to overtime and saw Boise edge UNM by a point, 83-82.

Lobos Answer the Call in Cancun Challenge
Under the leadership of head coach Mike Bradbury, the UNM women’s basketball team have been returning to national prominence and with their performance against a pair of Power 5 teams in Cancun, the Lobos are proving that they are poised to compete with some of the top flight programs in the country. Overall, the Lobos went 1-1 in the Cancun Challenge as they grinded out a 71-68 win over Missouri and showed resiliency and competitiveness against then-ranked No. 23 West Virginia in a 71-60 defeat.

Not Shai in Cancun
Early into her sophomore season with the Lobos, Shaiquel McGruder is quickly developing into a reliable and versatile post player on both ends of the court. That emergence was on full display in Cancun as the McGruder earned All-Tournament Team honors for her play in the Lobos’ two games. Against Missouri, McGruder hauled in 10 rebounds and came away with three steals. Against then nationally-ranked West Virginia, McGruder notched a remarkable eight steals and scored a career-best 16 points.

Cleared for Takeoff
After having her redshirt junior season come to a premature end with an ACL injury in the Lobos’ regular season finale a year ago, reining Mountain West Newcomer of the Year Aisia Robertson has been fully medically cleared to play. Robertson made her return as the first sub off the bench mid-way through the first quarter in the Lobos’ game against Missouri in Cancun. In 16 minutes of action in her season debut, Robertson scored five points and had four assists.

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 31 three-pointers and is knocking them down at a 46% clip (31-of-67). In three games this season, Hurst has made six three-pointers and has scored at least 20 points in those games as well. She is currently leading the team in scoring at 14.4 ppg and is fourth in the NCAA in three-pointers made

Bigs Coming Up Big at UTEP
Guard play has been a positive offensively for the Lobos early in the season as three of the top scorers on the team are guards with the lone exception being senior transfer Jordan Hosey. In the game against UTEP, the Lobos received a scoring boost from their forwards as Hosey, Bride Kennedy-Hopoate and Shaiquel McGruder all posted career highs in scoring. Hosey went for 19 points and hauled in 13 rebounds for her first double-double as a Lobo. Kennedy-Hopoate scored 17 points on 4-of-6 shooting overall (3-of-5 three-point) and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. McGruder chipped in 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 16 minutes of action.

De La Cerda is New Mexico True
There is something about when the Lobos play in-state rival New Mexico State in Las Cruces that brings the best out of Jaedyn De La Cerda. The Roswell, N.M. had another sensational scoring game against the Aggies in the Lobos’ 86-67 win on November 17. In the game, De La Cerda led all scorers with 26 points. In last year’s meeting at NMSU, De La Cerda scored what was a career-high 21 points. In her last two games on the road against the Aggies, De La Cerda is averaging 23.5 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.

Double-Double Tracker
1. Antonia Anderson……….. 14 pts/11rebs……………. vs. NAU (11-8-19)
2. Jordan Hosey……………… 19 pts/13 reb………….. at UTEP (11-19-19)

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.