 |
|
| NEW MEXI CO LOBOS 9-6 (0-2 MW) |
SAN JOSÉ STATE SPARTANS 8-5 (2-0 MW) |
|
Wednesday, January 1 | 7 p.m. (MT) |
|
Tipping Off
After a fury of action with four games in five days in the final week of 2019, the University of New Mexico women’s basketball team is set to emerge from an 11-day break and return to the hardwood on Wednesday night inside Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit.
The return to action thrusts the Lobos back into the Mountain West slate where they will play out the remainder of their regular season against league foes. Different than in year’s past however, the Lobos’ first game of a new calendar year will not be their first conference game as they have already played a pair of games in early December to accommodate for the earlier dates of the upcoming MW Tournament in March.
Those two early conference games place a somewhat larger importance on Wednesday night’s game against San José State as the Lobos will be looking to avoid an 0-3 start to league play. Despite the two early MW setbacks, the Lobos still have 16 conference games remaining and plenty of time to meet internal and external expectations and ascend to the top of the league standings.
Wednesday night’s game against the Spartans figures to be a high-tempo shootout as UNM and SJSU are the top-two scoring offenses in the MW entering play at 80.8 ppg and 77.5 ppg, respectively. Combined, the two teams have scored 80 or more points 15 times with the Lobos doing so nine times. The Spartans are also much improved over last season and will enter play at 8-5 overall and 2-0 in MW play. They closed out their 2019 scheduled with a pair of losses in the Maui Classic to BYU and
Northern Arizona.
Individually, the Spartans have two players averaging double figures and four others averaging at least 9.3 ppg. The leading scorer is Ayzhiana Basallo at 21.3 ppg.
Hoop-Filled Week Closes out 2019
The final week of action in 2019 was jam-packed full of basketball for the Lobos as they played four games in five days. The first two games of that stretch saw the Lobos play some of their best basketball of the year offensively as they combined to score 193 points and knocked down 29 three-pointers in blowout wins over New Mexico State and Providence. Unfortunately, the final two games did not see the same kind of success as the Lobos lost a one-point game to Loyola Marymount and then suffered a double-digit loss to Ball State to conclude the week.
Everett Heating up Before Break
Last year’s Mountain West Freshman of the Year, Jayla Everett burst onto the scene as a rookie for the Lobos and proved her ability to be a prolific scorer as she set a new freshman scoring record with 417 points. As a sophomore, Everett has continued to be a scoring threat and has started to heat up even more just prior to the Lobos’ Christmas break. Over the final three games, Everett averaged 20.3 pgg and raised her season scoring average from 10.7 ppg to 12.6 ppg. Her best scoring performance came against Loyola Marymount as she scored a career-high 34 points.
Rio Grande Rivalry Rout
The final edition of the 2019-20 Rio Grande Rivalry turned out to be the most lopsided outcome in series history. In a rivalry series that dates back to 1975 and now spans 80 games, the Lobos posted the largest margin of victory against New Mexico State as they routed the Aggies 107-53 for a 54-point margin of victory and in the process securing a season-sweep. The margin put up by the Lobos in the game was 20 points better than the previous mark of 34 points done back in 2006 when UNM beat NMSU 81-47. It was also tied for the fifth-largest margin of victory for the Lobos all-time.
Lobos Hit Reset Button vs. NNMC
After hitting a rough patch over their three games prior, the UNM women’s basketball team got a reset opportunity in their game against Northern New Mexico on December 10. The Lobos were clearly the better team from the outset and the outcome was never in doubt. That allowed for the Lobos to create balance and opportunities for their roster. Eleven players logged minutes in the game with the most being 26 and the lowest being 12. Additionally, all 11 players scored in the game.
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 46 three-pointers and is knocking them down at a 41% clip (46-of-114). In four games this season, Hurst has made five or more three-pointers and has scored at least 20 points in those games as well. She is currently leading the team in scoring at 13.2 ppg and is fourth in the NCAA in three-pointers made.
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.
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)
3. Jordan Hosey……………… 17 pts/13 rebs………….vs. LMU (12-19-19)
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.
| Returning | Lost | % Returning | |
| Points | 1,542 | 795 | .660 |
| Rebounds | 610 | 598 | .505 |
| Assists | 404 | 82 | .831 |
| Blocks | 92 | 98 | .484 |
| Steals | 217 | 89 | .709 |
| 3-Pointers | 184 | 37 | .833 |
| Free Throws | 248 | 162 | .605 |
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.
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 six newcomers. Five of the newcomers hail from the prep ranks and one via transfer. 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 twp 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 player 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.