Lobos Face Wolf Pack on New Year's Day
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Lobos ring in 2025 in The Pit on New Year’s Day against Nevada for their conference home opener. Game time is set for 2 p.m. MT with tickets $2.25 at the door.
New Mexico enters the game 8-6 on the season, 1-0 in conference, after a 69-63 win at Air Force, while Nevada is 6-8 on the season, 1-0 in conference following a 63-59 win over San José State. The Lobos have won three of their last four games.
SERIES HISTORY
The Lobos are 17-7 all-time against Nevada and 8-2 in home games. UNM is 3-2 in the last five games of the series and 6-4 in the last 10. The series first began in 1979, a 78-60 Lobo win in Reno, with the Lobos winning nine consecutive games in the series between Feb. 14, 2015 and Jan. 25, 2020.
Coach Mike Bradbury is 11-4 all-time against Nevada and 5-1 in home games.
4-FOR-4 DEAL
The Lobos has had a season-high four players score in double figures four times: against Western New Mexico, South Carolina State, Pepperdine and Air Force. Against WNMU, the Lobos were led by 15 from Destinee Hooks, 13 from Viané Cumber, 12 from Hulda Joaquim and 10 from Hargrove, and against South Carolina State, Joaquim led with a career-high 14 points, followed by 13 from Cumber and Hooks and a season-high 12 from Amhyia Moreland. Against the Waves, Hooks and Joaquim shared the team high with 14 points and Cumber and Moreland scored 12 each. In the MW opener, Cumber led with 20 points, Joaquim finished with a career-best 16 points, Hooks finished with 15 and Joana Magalhães scored a season-high 11 points.
UNM is 4-0 when four players score in double figures this season.
20 POINT CLUB
UNM has had a player score 20-plus points in seven games this season. Destinee Hooks has scored 20-plus points four times (21 vs. Northern Arizona, 28 at Texas Tech, 24 vs. Gonzaga and 27 at New Mexico State) and Viané Cumber three times (scored 23 against Morehead State, 25 against Sacramento State and 20 at Air Force).
FROM 0-60
A pattern emerged last season centered around the No. 60. 60 was the magic number for the Lobos as UNM was 19-1 when scoring 60 or more points and 14-2 when allowing fewer than 60 points. In conference games, UNM was 11-1 when scoring 60 or more and 7-1 when allowing fewer than 60 points.
This season, the Lobos are 6-0 when both occur. The win against Morehead State followed suit, scoring 66 points and allowed 56, as did the win against Western New Mexico, scoring 85 and allowing 56. Against South Carolina State, UNM scored 80 and allowed a season-low 38 and against North Texas, UNM scored 75 and allowed 58. In the game against Pepperdine, UNM allowed 59 points while scoring 82 and followed it up in the next game against Sacramento State with 69 points while allowing 57.
UNM has scored 60 or more points in all 14 games this season and is 6-0 when allowing fewer than 60 points. UNM opponents are averaging 65.1 ppg.
…OR IS IT 69?
UNM has scored 69 points in the last three games, going 2-1 in those games. The Lobos have shot 45.4% and 37.1% from three in the last three games, making 7.7 three-pointers per game, and outscoring opponents 207-197. UNM has outscored its opponents 60-47 in the first quarter, 35-32 in the second and 62-49 in the fourth and held a lead entering the fourth quarter against Sacramento State and Air Force.
Viané Cumber led the team in scoring in all three games with 25 points, 18 points and 20 points, an average of 21.0 ppg behind 12 three-pointers.
QUITE THE STEAL
The Lobos have created six or more steals in 12 games and 10 or more steals in seven this season, including a season-high 15 against North Texas, 13 in two games, 12 against Pepperdine and Abilene Christian, 11 at Air Force and 10 against New Mexico State, averaging 9.5 steals per game. UNM has had 10 or more steals in three of the last four and five of the last seven games.
Alyssa Hargrove leads the team in steals with 33 (2.4 per game), following three or more steals in six games with five against North Texas and New Mexico State, four against Western New Mexico and Air Force and three against South Carolina State and Gonzaga. She’s recorded a steal in 13 games and multiple steals in eight. Hargrove led the team in steals against NAU, TTU, WNMU, North Texas, New Mexico State and Air Force, and tied for the team lead against South Carolina State.
Four Lobos have recorded a steal in nine games: Hulda Joaquim, who has recorded a steal in each of the last six games, including two in each of the last three and four games with multiple steals in that span. Amhyia Moreland and Viané Cumber have had a steal in nine games, with Moreland credited with a career-high four against ACU and Cumber a game-high four against Gonzaga, which tied her career high. Against New Mexico State, Joaquim tied her career high with three steals, which she last did in 2022. Destinee Hooks has also had a steal in nine games, including at least one in the last three games, and four against North Texas.
Six Lobos are averaging over a steal per game with Hargrove (2.4), Joana Magalhães (1.2), Cumber, Hooks and Moreland at 1.1 and Joaquim (1.1). Hargrove is third in the conference in steals per game and 39th in steals in the NCAA.
MOUNTAIN OF STATS
Among the Mountain West teams, the Lobos rank in the top three in eight categories, leading the conference in five.
UNM leads the conference in field goal percentage (.448), rebounding margin (+5.5), defensive rebounds per game (28.0), defensive rebound percentage (.731) and rebounding defense (33.6). The Lobos are second in blocks per game (5.0), and rebounds per game (39.1) and tied for third in scoring offense (71.8).
UNM’s 10 blocks against Morehead State are tied for the second most in a game by a MW team this season.
On an individual level, Viané Cumber leads the conference in three-pointers per game (2.8), three-point field goal percentage (.375) and 39 made three-pointers (six more than the next MW player). Cumber’s seven three-pointers against Morehead State are the most made by a MW player this season with her 12 attempts in the game also the most. Destinee Hooks is fourth in the conference in points per game at 16.8 with Cumber sixth at 16.2. Hooks is also second in field goal percentage (.497) with Cumber fourth (.448).
Hooks’ 28 points at Texas Tech is tied for the second-most points scored by a MW player this season, with her 11 made field goals in the game tied for the most by a MW player.
Alyssa Hargrove is fourth in the conference in assists per game (3.6) and third in steals per game (2.4). Amhyia Moreland is tied for third in blocks per game (1.5) with Hargrove eighth (1.0) and Hulda Joaquim is fourth in offensive rebounds per game (3.2) with Cumber second in defensive rebounds per game (5.9).
STARTING STRONG, NEED TO FINISH STRONG
UNM has entered the fourth quarter with the lead in 10 games (NAU, Morehead State, Western New Mexico, South Carolina State, UC Irvine, North Texas, at New Mexico State, Pepperdine, Sacramento State and at Air Force). In those 10 games, UNM outscored opponents 193-145 in the first quarter and 159-111 in the second quarter (352-256 in the first 20 minutes), 177-147 in the third quarter and 200-194 in the fourth (377-341 in the last 20 minutes). UNM is 8-2 this season when taking a lead into the final quarter.
The Lobos led for the majority of the game in eight of the games, leading 34:12 and by as many as 13 against NAU but lost the lead and the game late. Against Morehead State, the Lobos led 39:33 and by as many as 24 in the fourth, but the lead was cut down to 10 in the 66-56 final. They only trailed for 3:47 (3:30 vs. NAU, 0:17 vs. MSU) in the first two games of the season. Against Western New Mexico, UNM led by as many as 29 and for 36:38 and UNM never trailed against South Carolina State and led by as many as 43. Against UNT, the Lobos led for 39:27 and never trailed, leading by as many as 19 in the second quarter. In the game against Pepperdine, UNM led for 34:10 and by as many as 30. Against Sacramento State, the Lobos never trailed, leading for 38:30 and by as many as 18 in the third quarter. In the MW opener against Air Force, UNM used a 10-0 run to close the first quarter and led for the entire second quarter and second half, in what amounted to 34:21 of the game.
On the season, UNM is outscoring its opponents 279-224 in the first quarter (+55). The Lobos are outscoring opponents by 210-177 in the second (+33) and 249-238 (+11) in the third, but trailing 267-272 in the fourth. UNM holds a 1005-911 (+94) edge in overall points.
In addition, the Lobos have led for a total of 336:02 this season, leading after the first quarter in 10 games (exception was Gonzaga and at NMSU; tied against Pepperdine and Abilene Christian), and trailed for a total of 174:52, with the largest time coming against Gonzaga of 39:13. UNM never trailed in the game against South Carolina State, North Texas and Sacramento State, but also never led against Gonzaga although tying the game three times.
ABOUT NEVADA
The Wolf Pack are averaging 66.8 points per game and allowing 66.6 points per game, with three players averaging double figures. Lexie Givens leads Nevada with 12.1 points per game, followed by Kennedy Lee at 11.7 ppg and Victoria Davis at 10.7 ppg. Givens has scored in double figures in the last seven games and nine of the last 10. Overall, the largest scoring production occurs in the third quarter with the Wolf Pack scoring 251 points and their fewest point total coming in the first quarter with 202 points.
Givens and Dymonique Maxie are the only two players who have started all 14 games with seven players appearing in all 14 games this season. Maxie leads the team with 34 assists and 26 steals, while Givens leads in rebounds with 6.1 per game.
As a team, Nevada is averaging 7.4 steals per game with a season-high 14 against Cal St. East Bay, and 37.7 rebounds per game with a season-high 50 twice against Pepperdine and Western Kentucky.
Nevada shares one common non-conference opponent with the Lobos in Pepperdine, with the Wolf Pack losing 60-58 in overtime.