Lobos Host Lions Wednesday in Nike N7 Game

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—The Lobos close out their fourth game in 10 days against Texas A&M-Commerce on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. It is the second part of a home-and-home with the Lions after UNM travelled to Commerce last season and won 78-71, in which Paula Reus finished with 18 points and nine rebounds and Viané Cumber scored 15 points.

Of note, UNM will wear turquoise jerseys to celebrate Native American Heritage Month on Wednesday in partnership with Nike as part of Nike’s N7 game.

Both teams enter the game undefeated with UNM coming off of a 64-55 win over Tarleton State on Sunday to move to 3-0. Texas A&M-Commerce enters 2-0 following wins over LeTourneau (96-41) and UNT-Dallas (80-56).

GET AHEAD, STAY AHEAD
So far this season, the Lobos have led for:
•37:53 and led after each quarter against Texas Southern
•36:30 and never trailed at Pepperdine
•39:21 and never trailed against Tarleton State

UNM is outscoring opponents 51-27 (+24) in the first quarter and 98-70 (+28) through the first two quarters. The Lobos have held the lead heading into the fourth quarter in all three games, outscoring opponents 145-110 (+35) through three quarters.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The Pit has proven to be a home court advantage for the Lobos of late. UNM has gone 33-4 over the last three years: 2-0 this season, 14-3 last season and 17-1 the year prior, which doesn’t include going 2-0 in the only two home games in 2020-21. Coach Mike Bradbury is 90-24 in The Pit in his eight years at UNM.

Entering the season, UNM has gone 119-43 (.735) in The Pit with seven seasons with 10-plus home wins and three seasons with 15-plus wins in the last 10 years.

DEFENSE DELIVERS
Twice this season the Lobos have held their opponents to five or fewer points in a quarter.

In the win at Pepperdine, the Lobos held the Waves to four points in first quarter and without a point up until the 1:09 mark. Further, UNM held the Waves to 18 points in the first 20 minutes, with the last time that the Lobos held a team below 20 points in the first half was against Louisiana-Monroe on Nov. 27, 2021 (17 points). Pepperdine missed its first eight shots of the game and UNM forced two shot clock violations in that timespan. The Lobos were able to further expand their lead to 16 in the second quarter in part to a 6-0 Lobo run and holding Pepperdine to a 3:06 scoring drought. In the fourth quarter, Pepperdine scored its first points with 6:54 left in the game.

Against Tarleton State, the Lobos held the Texans to five points in the third quarter, outscoring them 20-5. UNM scored the first eight points of the quarter, ultimately going on a 10-1 run through the first 6:05. UNM later scored 10-straight points in a span of 1:55 for its best run of the game to build its largest lead of the contest at 53-31, taking a 53-33 lead into the final 10 minutes.

THREE’S COMPANY
The Lobos have had three players score in double figures in two of the three games this season, with Nyah Wilson and Viané Cumber reaching double figures in both games, and Paula Reus and Aniyah Augmon once.

The trio of Cumber, Augmon and Wilson all scored in double figures in the season opener, accounting for 59 of UNM’s 76 points and matched Texas Southern’s total team point total.

Cumber took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 of her game-high 22 points in the final 10 minutes, while Wilson and Augmon were effective early, reaching double figures in the first 20 minutes to finish with a career-high 20 points and 17 points, respectively. Wilson and Augmon were also facilitators, with Augmon leading with a game- and career-high six assists and Wilson finishing with the second most on the team with three. Additionally, Wilson was 4-4 from three-point range with Cumber also making four.

It marked the first time that UNM had two 20-point scorers in a game since 2022, and was the third time this season that all three scored double-digit points.

In Sunday’s win, Cumber, Wilson and Reus all finished in double figures with Reus and Wilson tying for the team- and game-high at 16 points, with Cumber contributing 12 points that included three, three-pointers.

Wilson (14.7), Cumber (14.3) and Augmon (11.7) are all averaging double figures on the season, with Reus close at 9.7.

ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT
The Lobos have been led in scoring and in rebounds by different players in the three games this season.

Vianè Cumber (22 points) and Charlotte Kohl (nine rebounds) led in the season opener, Aniyah Augmon (16 points and nine rebounds) led at Pepperdine and Paula Reus and Nyah Wilson (16 points each) and Wilson (nine rebounds) led against Tarleton State.

ABOUT TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE
Texas A&M-Commerce enters the game 2-0 following wins over LeTourneau (96-41) and UNT-Dallas (80-56). The Lions are led by Jordyn Newsome (21.0 ppg), one of three in double figures (Mary Delgado (15.5 ppg) and Mia Deck (10.5 ppg)).

Defensively, Dorian Norris leads with an average of 7.5 rebounds per game, while Olivia Russell has a team-high three blocks and Delgado leads with five steals.

The Lions have started the same five in both games (Newsome, Deck, Ahmya Boyce, Jamy De Kock and Russell) and were picked to finish eighth in the Southland Conference in Coach Valerie King’s first season.

In addition to longtime Lobo assistant coach now turned Texas A&M-Commerce head coach King, there will be another familiar face in former Lobo and New Mexico native Jaedyn De La Cerda, who serves as the director of operations.