ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Lobos head on the road for their first MW road contests of the season against two tough opponents, starting with Wyoming. Tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. MT and will be streamed on the Mountain West Network.
UNM holds the all-time series advantage at 43-38, but on the road in Laramie is 13-25. However, under Coach Mike Bradbury, the Lobos are 3-2 at Wyoming.
The Lobos won their conference opener at home against Air Force, while Wyoming is 1-1 in conference with a 73-67 loss at UNLV and a 77-72 win over Fresno State in two overtimes. On the season, UNM is 9-5 and has won five of its last six games and is 8-2 in its last 10 games, with Wyoming entering the game 8-5 on the season and is 6-1 at home. The Cowgirls are 7-3 in their last 10 games.
Both the Cowgirls and the Lobos have three players averaging double figures, with Wyoming led by Quinn Weidemann at 12.7 points per game, and UNM led by Shaiquel McGruder at 15.1 points per game.
Much like the Lobos, Wyoming has been consistent in its starting lineup, starting the same five in all 13 games in Weidemann, Grace Ellis, Allyson Fertig, Malene Pedersen and Tommi Olson. For the Lobos, McGruder, Amaya Brown, LaTora Duff, LaTascya Duff and Paula Reus have been the primary starters, starting as a unit in all but one game this season.
Statistically, UNM enters as the 3rd-best scoring offense in the MW at 73.2 points per game and Wyoming enters as the 3rd-best scoring defense, allowing 56.2 points per game.
FINDING OTHER WAYS TO SCORE
While UNM has had five games with 10-plus three-pointers, the Lobos are actually 2-3 in those games. The Lobos are 4-0 when making exactly nine (Western New Mexico, Nicholls, New Mexico State and Old Dominion) and won against Houston when only making two three-pointers.
The Lobos are shooting 42.8 percent from the floor this season and 51.3 percent (255-497) when excluding three-point attempts. The Lobos are 7-2 when shooting .400 or better and have shot .400 or better in nine of the last 11 games, including a season-high 54.8% in the last game against South Carolina State. The Lobos have shot better than 50.0% in the last two games and in three games this season (also shot 52.3% against NMSU).
SOPHOMORES STEPPING UP
Vianè Cumber has stepped into being a reliable three-point shooter and has finished with double figures in five games with a game with 22 points, 17 against Mississippi State, 16 against South Carolina State and two games with 15. The Lobo sophomore is averaging 16.4 minutes per game and 8.2 points per game and has finished with four three-pointers in three of the last five games. She is shooting 48.7% overall and 42.6% from three-point range and second on the team in made three-pointers with 26. Cumber is fifth in the MW in three-pointers per game.
Aniyah Augmon has stepped into a larger role this season as well, and has finished with three assists in three games with a career-high five assists against Old Dominion. 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. The guard is averaging 17.5 minutes per game, 2.7 rebounds per game and 1.5 assists per game.
Paula Reus has stepped into a starting role this season, starting all 14 games this season, and is averaging 8.1 points per game, 4.6 rebounds per game, 2.3 assists per game and 0.9 steal per game in an average of 26.9 minutes per game. Reus has scored in double figures in six games this season, including five of the last seven games. She recorded her first career double-double against NMSU with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
IN EXCLUSIVE COMPANY
She currently has 1194 points and 737 rebounds, ranking her 14th all-time in points and 37 away from a tie for 12th. When it comes to rebounds, McGruder is eighth in program history and is one away from seventh and 15 from sixth. If McGruder matches her production from last season, the Lobo could climb into the top 10 in scoring and as high as third in rebounds.
McGruder also has 152 career blocks, fourth all-time and six from third. Her 193 career steals ranks her fourth all-time.
During her career, McGruder is shooting a program-best .612 from the floor and scored 73 points as a freshman, 215 points as a sophomore, 182 as a junior and 512 points last season. She’s scored 212 points this season and is shooting 66.4%.
Among MW players, McGruder is in the top 10 in scoring (third) and rebounds (fourth) and leads the conference in steals (35) field-goal percentage and blocks (40). Nationally, she is sixth in field-goal percentage, third in blocks and sixth in blocks per game.
CONSISTENT TORA DUFF
Returning for another season, LaTora Duff has been the floor general for the Lobos for the past three seasons, starting in every game she’s played in. Prior to missing the WNMU game for a family matter, Duff had started in 60-straight games for the Lobos.
Duff has scored in double figures in seven games, has finished with five rebounds in seven games and recorded multiple steals in eight of the games but has had at least one steal in 10 with a career-high five at Nicholls. She has played 30-plus minutes in 10 games.
Against Air Force, she finished with 15 points, seven assists and seven rebounds and against Arizona State, she finished with a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists along with three steals and five rebounds, playing in 42:14.
Duff is averaging 32.8 minutes, 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals.
She currently has 330 career assists, 13th all-time in program history, and is one away from 12th and six from 11th. If she replicates her 192 assists from last season, Duff could climb into the top 4 in the record book.
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 Air Force game was the 51st career game at UNM for 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 .403, third all-time in program history, and 191 career three-pointers, fourth all-time in program history, four away from third and 30 away from tying the program record.
The super senior leads the MW in three-point field-goal percentage at .359, in three-pointers per game at 3.2 and made three-pointers (42), 13 more than any other player in the MW. Nationally, she is fifth in the NCAA in three-pointers per game and 12th 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, five against Old Dominion and South Carolina State and three against Mississippi State and Air Force, and has had multiple three-pointers in the last eight games.
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
Wyoming enters the game 8-5 on the season, 1-1 in conference as is 6-1 at home.
The Cowgirls opened conference with a 73-67 loss at UNLV before beating Fresno State at home 77-72 in two overtimes. On the season, Wyoming is scoring 64.2 points per game and allowing 56.2 points per game, while in conference games is scoring 72.0 points per game and allowing 72.5 points per game. Quinn Weidemann led the Cowgirls in scoring against UNLV with 20 points and Allyson Fertig led the team in scoring against Fresno State with 22 points. Fertig finished with a double-double against the Bulldogs with a team-high 12 rebounds.
Wyoming has three players averaging over 10 points per game in Weidemann (12.7), Grace Ellis (10.5) and Fertig (10.4). Weidemann leads with a team-high 29 three-pointers, with Fertig leading in blocks (24), steals (14) and rebounds (124, 9.5 per game). Fertig leads the MW in rebounds per game and is third in blocks per game (1.9), and Weidemann is seventh in scoring and third in three-pointers per game (2.2).
As a team, Wyoming is second in the MW in free-throw percentage (.762), third in field-goal percentage defense (.372) and scoring defense and fourth in field-goal percentage (.430). The Cowgirls leads the conference in defensive three-point field-goal percentage (.268).
The Cowgirls have started the same five all 13 games with Weidemann, Ellis, Fertig, Malene Pedersen and Tommi Olson.
Wyoming was picked to finish fourth in the MW Preseason Poll with 207 points.