ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Lobo women’s basketball team travels to New Port Richey, Florida for the Sun Coast Challenge, set to face Old Dominion (Dec. 20) and Mississippi State (Dec. 21).
Both games will be played at Pasco-Hernando State College and have a 1 p.m. ET/ 11 a.m. MT start time. Both games will also be streamed on BallerTV.
UNM enters the two-game tournament 6-4 on the season and have won five of its last six games, while ODU enters 8-3 and having won its last six games and MSU 9-2 having won its last four games.
The Lobos will face Mississippi State for the third time in program history and Old Dominion for the first time. The Lobos are 1-1 all-time against the Bulldogs, with the last meeting back in 2003, a 73-61 Lobo win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at home.
THREE FALLING
UNM built an identity last season as a three-point shooting team, and this year’s team is trying to reclaim that identity. The Lobos have finished with 10-plus three-pointers in three games this season with a season-high 11 in the game against Texas A&M-Commerce and finished with nine in the wins against Western New Mexico, Nicholls and New Mexico State.
UNM is averaging 7.7 made three-pointers per game with 40.6 percent of UNM’s shot attempts three-pointers. The Lobos are shooting 30.4% from three. LaTascya Duff leads the Lobos with 27 made three-pointers, and is making 3.0 per game.
SOPHOMORES STEPPING UP
While the Lobos have started the same five every game but once this season, the bench has stepped up in several games.
Vianè Cumber has finished with double figures in three games with a game with 22 points and two games with 15. The Lobo sophomore is averaging 16.7 minutes per game and 6.7 points per game and has made multiple three-pointers in four games this season, including going 4-5 in the Dec. 11 game against New Mexico State and 6-8 against Western New Mexico.
Aniyah Augmon has stepped into a larger role this season as well, and has finished with three assists in each of the last three games. She went 4-5 in the game against Arizona and added a steal, and in the last game against NMSU, hit three free throws in the fourth quarter in UNM’s 65-64 win.
Stepping into a starting role this season, Paula Reus has shown more consistency as of late, scoring in double figures in the last three games and in four of the last five games, scoring a season-high 18 points at Texas A&M-Commerce, 14 against Arizona and 11 each against Abilene Christian and New Mexico State. Reus registered her first double-double as a Lobo with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against the Aggies, and added two steals and four assists in the UNM win.
BALANCED ATTACK
UNM has had six different leading scorers this season in LaTascya Duff, Amaya Brown, LaTora Duff, Vianè Cumber, Shaiquel McGruder and Paula Reus. The game at Nicholls was the first time that there was a repeat leading scorer, with LaTascya scoring a game-high 20 points at Southern Utah and at Nicholls. Reus led the team in scoring twice, with 18 at Texas A&M-Commerce and against Arizona. McGruder led the Lobos in scoring three times, scoring 24 against Arizona State, 23 against Abilene Christian and 16 against NMSU.
McGruder has reached double digits in nine games this season and twice with 20 points, scoring 13, 11, 11, 24, 14, 10, 15, 23 and 16 and LaTascya Duff has scored in double figures in seven games including the last four and twice reached 20 points (20, 10, 16, 20, 10, 19, 12). LaTora has scored double figures in the first five games with 13, 14, 13, 13 and 15. and Brown has reached double figures in five games (16, 11, 10, 15, 10). Reus has scored in double figures in the last three games and in four of the last five games (18, 14, 11, 11).
McGruder (14.3), LaTascya (13.2) and LaTora (10.0) are all averaging double-digit points per game.
TRIPLE THREAT TAY
There is no one better in the MW and very few better in the country when it comes to three-pointers than LaTascya Duff.
The NMSU game was the 47th career game at UNM for LaTascya Duff with multiple three-pointers and the Nicholls game was the 16th time that Duff has scored 20 or more points as a Lobo.
She currently has a career three-point percentage of .407, third all-time in program history, and 176 career three-pointers, sixth all-time in program history, 10 away from fifth and 45 away from tying the program record.
The super senior is second in the MW in three-point field-goal percentage at .360 but leads in three-pointers per game at 3.0 and made three-pointers (27). Nationally, she is 18th in the NCAA in three-pointers per game and 35th in three-pointers.
This season, the sharp shooter made four in the season opener, including her first attempt of the game to open the scoring. She replicated that against Arizona State with four more and she finished with six three-pointers and 20 points against Nicholls and five against Abilene Christian. She had four against NMSU, the fourth-straight game with multiple three-pointers.
IDENTITY THEFT
The Lobos have recorded 10 or more steals in eight games this season, recording a total of 120 for an average of 12.0 per game. UNM is 18th in the NCAA in steals per game.
LaTascya Duff (24) and Shaiquel McGruder (23) lead the team in steals, with McGruder averaging 2.3 per game and LaTascya at 2.7 per game. Amaya Brown and LaTora Duff each have 18 on the season with Duff averaging 2.0 per game and Brown 1.8 per game.
Six Lobos have had multiple steals in multiple games. LaTascya has recorded at least one steal in every game she has played in with multiple steals in seven, including two games with five. LaTora has recorded at least one steal in eight games with multiple steals in six. McGruder has had at least one steal in eight games with multiple steals in seven games that includes two games with four and a game with five. Vianè Cumber has recorded multiple steals in the three games, Brown has recorded multiple steals in five games with at least one steal in nine, and Nia Johnson has had two games with multiple steals.
The Lobos have three players in the top 10 in the MW in steals per game, led by LaTascya (tied for third), McGruder sixth and LaTora tied for seventh. Brown is 11th.
B(LOCK) DOWN
UNM’s defense has also recorded multiple blocks in each game and has finished with at least five blocks in seven of the last eight games. Shaiquel McGruder leads with 29 blocks to date, with multiple blocks in seven of the last eight games with two games with five blocks.
The Lobos have 59 blocks and are ninth in the NCAA in blocks per game (5.9), leading the MW in the category. McGruder is sixth in the NCAA in blocks and seventh in blocks per game (2.9), leading the MW in both categories.
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
Old Dominion has won its last six games and is averaging 65.8 points per game while holding opponents to 56.4 ppg. The Monarchs are led in scoring by Jordan McLaughlin at 11.2, followed by Amari Young with 10.9 points per game. Young leads ODU on the boards with 7.8 rebounds per game, 21 on the offensive end and 65 on the defensive end, as well as in blocks at nine. Kaye Clark leads with 34 steals with Young second at 26.
McLaughlin, Young and Clark have started all 11 games for ODU, with Makayla Dickens starting in 10 games, Jada Duckett starting in seven (and the last three) and Brianna Jackson starting in four. Young has led the team in scoring in the last two games with 17 points and 13 points and in four games this season.
Mississippi State is 9-2 with the Bulldogs playing two common opponents with UNM. The Bulldogs defeated Colorado State 71-66 and Texas A&M-Commerce 88-53. MSU has won its last four games.
Three players are scoring double digits in Jessika Carter (13.4), Jerkaila Jordan (12.0) and Debreasha Powe (11.4). Carter is shooting 52.7% with 59 made field goals and also leads in rebounds with 93 (8.5 per game) and in blocks with 30. Jordan leads in steals (29).
Carter, Jordan, Powe and Anastasia Hayes have started all 11 games for the Bulldogs, with Ahlana Smith starting in 10 games and Denae Carter starting in one.
MSU is a sound defensive team, ranking third in the NCAA in blocks per game (6.5), fourth in field-goal percentage defense (31.7), seventh in scoring defense (50.3) and 10th in steals per game (13.2). The Bulldogs are also eighth in scoring margin (27.4). Carter is third in blocks and ninth in blocks per game (2.7) and Jordan 23rd in steals.
UP NEXT
The Lobos close out the non-conference portion of their schedule at home on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. against South Carolina State.