Lobos Face Falcons Wednesday

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.–The Lobo women’s basketball team closes out their three-game homestand with Air Force on Wednesday at 7 p.m., for the only scheduled regular reason meeting between the two teams.

New Mexico enters the game leading the MW in scoring offense (78.3), three-pointers made per game (10.9), made three-pointers (131), three-point percentage (.372), assists (214), assists per game (17.8), assist/turnover ratio (1.6), blocked shots (56) and blocked shots per game (4.7) in MW games.

Individually, LaTascya Duff leads the MW with a .493 shooting percentage from three. LaTascya, Antonia Anderson and Jaedyn De La Cerda are 2-5-6 in made three-pointers per game in MW games at 2.8 (LaTascya) and 2.4 (Anderson) and 2.3 (De La Cerda) per game. McGruder leads in field-goal percentage (.594), blocks (27) and blocks per game (2.3) with Anderson second in blocks (18) and blocks per game (1.5). LaTora Duff is third in assists per game (5.8) and assist/turnover ratio (2.8).

The Lobos continue to have a conference-high five Lobos averaging double figures, with Shaiquel McGruder leading with 16.0 points per game, Anderson at 14.6, De La Cerda at 13.8, LaTascya at 11.3 ppg, LaTora at 10.1, and Paula Reus nearly there at 8.6.

On the other side of the court, Air Force has won its last two games, against Wyoming and Colorado State. In their last game against the Rams, Cierra Winters led the Falcons with 19 points, while Riley Snyder and Lauren McDonald each scored 15 points. Haley Jones led with 12 rebounds and two blocks and Jo Huntimer led with four assists and four steals.

Air Force enters the game having won its last two games (Wyoming, 47-45 and Colorado State (67-63). The Falcons are 13-10 on the season and 7-5 in the MW. Their conference wins this season have been the mentioned Wyoming and Colorado State, San Diego State (59-46), San Jose State (58-46), Fresno State (66-57), Colorado State (77-52) and Utah State (65-52). Thei losses have ben to Nevada (67-52), UNLV (83-67), Wyoming (57-54), Nevada (40-39) and UNLV (72-54).

The Falcons have two players scoring in double figures in conference games, led by Riley Snyder (13.8 ppg) and Cierra Winters (11.8 ppg). Haley Jones leads with 84 rebounds (9.3 per game) and Jo Huntimer leads with 41 assists. Winters leads in steals (27) and blocks (8) in MW games.

AF is averaging 58.8 points per game in conference games, while opponents are scoring 56.7 points per game. Further, the Falcons are shooting 37.2% from the floor and 27.1% from three-point range, with MW opponents shooting 40.9% from the floor and 28.7% from three. As a team, Air Force leads the MW in steals in conference games with 111, an average of 9.3 per game, with Winters second in the conference in steals per game (2.3) but has a conference-high 27 steals. The Falcons also have a +6.1 turnover margin on the season and a +7.5 in MW games, which also leads the MW.

In their 12 conference games, Winters and Huntimer are the only two that have started all 12. Snyder has started all 11 games she has played in, Kamri Heath has started 10 and Nikki McDonald has started four games. Jones has started eight of the nine conference games she has played in and Dasha Macmillan has started in one of the nine conference games she’s played in.

PIT POLICY
The entry requirements for all events in The Pit have been extended until further notice. Lobo fans will have three ways to come and enjoy Lobo Basketball in The Pit.  The simplest will be for patrons to provide proof of vaccination status. Proof of vaccination status means having two shots of Pfizer or Moderna, or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (or AstraZeneca for international fans), with the last shot received two weeks prior to the date of event entry. The second way to enjoy Lobo basketball at The Pit would be to provide proof of a negative COVID test. A PCR test must be within 72 hours and an antigen test must be within 24 hours of the event. Home COVID tests are not valid for this type of entry.  The third way to enjoy Lobo Basketball at The Pit is to be under 12 years old, as fans up through age 11 will be admitted without proof of vaccination.

Patrons to all events at The Pit must additionally adhere to all other state health regulations, which currently include wearing a mask in any indoor venue or setting.