Lobos Return to Road Against Aztecs Saturday
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Mountain West schedule continues with the Lobos on the road Saturday against San Diego State with tip set for 2 p.m. MT. SDSU enters the game 12-3 on the season, 1-1 in conference with a 74-59 win over Boise State and a 67-56 loss to Colorado State. The Lobos are 9-6 on the season, 2-0 in conference following wins over Air Force (69-63) and Nevada (70-62).
Offensively, the two teams are scoring nearly the same points per game with the Aztecs at 71.6 ppg and the Lobos 71.7 ppg, and defensively, are creating the similar amount of steals per game with the Lobos at 9.5 spg and the Aztecs 9.6 spg.
SERIES HISTORY
The Lobos are 41-36 all-time against the Aztecs and 15-17 in road games. UNM’s last road win at SDSU was Jan. 29, 2022 by the score of 63-60. The game has been decided by one possession 11 times in the series (UNM is 6-5 in those games), six times under Coach Mike Bradbury with the Lobos 3-3 in those games. In eight games under Bradbury, the game has been decided by five or fewer points, with the Lobos 4-4 in those games.
Coach Mike Bradbury is 9-10 all-time against the Aztecs, 3-6 on the road.
4-FOR-4 DEAL
The Lobos has had a season-high four players score in double figures five times: against Western New Mexico, South Carolina State, Pepperdine, Air Force and Nevada. 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. The Lobos made it consecutive games against Nevada with Hooks scoring a game-high 18, Cumber with 17 and Magalhães and Moreland with 10 each.
UNM is 5-0 when four players score in double figures this season.
IT’S FREE, ISN’T IT?
Viané Cumber is about as automatic as they come from the line. The New Mexico native is 40-41 on the season, missing her first free throw before making 40 conseuctive free throws. Her 40 (and counting) consecutive made free throws set the program record, surpassing Julie Briody’s record of 35 she set Feb. 8-March 4, 2006.The 35th and 36th free throws came in the fourth quarter against Nevada on New Year’s Day, with Cumber adding four more in the quarter.
Cumber is currently second in the NCAA in free throw percentage at 97.6%, trailing Abaigeal Babore of Fairleigh Dickinson University by 0.1% (42-43, 97.7%). When not rounded up, the margin between the two is .00113443. Additionally, she is one of four players in the NCAA to have missed only one free throw attempt this season that have made 2.5 per game and played in 75% of their team’s games.
QUITE THE STEAL
The Lobos have created six or more steals in 13 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. UNM is averaging 9.5 steals per game and has had 10 or more steals in three of the last five and five with nine in the other two.
Alyssa Hargrove leads the team in steals with 36 (2.4 per game), following three or more steals in seven games with five against North Texas and New Mexico State, four against Western New Mexico and Air Force and three against South Carolina State, Nevada and Gonzaga. She’s recorded a steal in 14 games and multiple steals in nine. Hargrove led the team in steals against NAU, TTU, WNMU, North Texas, New Mexico State, Air Force and Nevada, and tied for the team lead against South Carolina State.
Three Lobos have recorded a steal in nine games: Hulda Joaquim, who has recorded a steal in six of the last seven games, including two in three of the last four 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 recorded a steal in 10 games, including at least one in the last four games and two in each of the last three, and had four against North Texas.
Four Lobos are averaging over a steal per game with Hargrove (2.4), Joana Magalhães (1.2), Hooks (1.1) and Joaquim (1.0). Hargrove is third in the conference in steals per game with the second-most steals and 28th in steals in the NCAA.
MOUNTAIN OF STATS
Among the Mountain West teams, the Lobos rank in the top two in eight categories, leading the conference in six.
UNM leads the conference in field goal percentage (.443), rebounding margin (+5.4), defensive rebounds per game (28.0), defensive rebound percentage (.730), rebounds per game (39.3) and rebounding defense (tied for first at 33.9). The Lobos are second in blocks per game (5.0), and in scoring offense (71.7).
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 (2.7), three-point field goal percentage (.364), 40 made three-pointers (three more than the next MW player) and free throw percentage (.976). She’s also second in minutes played (33.1). 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 16.9 with Cumber sixth at 16.3. Hooks is also second in field goal percentage (.508) with Cumber fifth (.443).
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 tied for third in the conference in assists per game (3.7), third in steals per game (2.4) and sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.2). Amhyia Moreland is fourth in blocks per game (1.5) with Hargrove ninth (1.0) and Hulda Joaquim is fourth in offensive rebounds per game (3.3) with Cumber third in defensive rebounds per game (5.9).
PAINT POINTS
The trend of prioritizing the paint points has continued from last season with UNM scoring 534 of its 1075 points in the paint, accounting for 49.7% of the points and an average of 35.6 points per game. The Lobos are outscoring opponents 534-414 (+120) in the paint and have outscored opponents in the paint in 10 games (7-3 in those games).
UNM has scored 50.0% or more of its points in a game in the paint in eight games, three times scoring 60.0% or more of its points in a game in the paint.
In the season opener, UNM scored 42 of its 78 points in the paint, accounting for 53.8%. UNM outscored NAU 42-34 in the paint, with 14 points in both the first and second quarters coming in the paint to account for 28 of UNM’s 42 points at the half. UNM had a season-best 56 paint points in the game against Western New Mexico, accounting for a season-high 65.9% of the total points. In the game against South Carolina State, UNM outscored the Lady Bulldogs 48-18 in the paint, scoring 60.0% of the total points in the paint. In the game against Gonzaga, UNM outscored the Bulldogs 38-30 in the paint with 55.9% of UNM’s total points coming in the paint. Against UNT, UNM outscored the Mean Green 38-36 in the paint and 50.7% of its points came in the paint. In the game at NMSU, the Lobos outscored the Aggies 40-30 in the paint, accounting for 66.7% of the total points (60). Against Pepperdine, the Lobos outscored the Waves 40-18 in the paint and 48.8% of the total points (82). UNM held the edge in the paint against Sacramento State 32-26, with 46.4% of its points coming in the paint (69 total points). In the MW opener at Air Force, UNM scored 36 of its 69 points in the paint (52.2%). Against Nevada, UNM scored 38 of its 70 points in the paint (54.3%).
STARTING STRONG, NEED TO FINISH STRONG
UNM has entered the fourth quarter with the lead in 11 games (NAU, Morehead State, Western New Mexico, South Carolina State, UC Irvine, North Texas, at New Mexico State, Pepperdine, Sacramento State, at Air Force and Nevada). In those 11 games, UNM outscored opponents 212-160 in the first quarter and 176-130 in the second quarter (388-290 in the first 20 minutes), 195-161 in the third quarter and 216-208 in the fourth (411-369 in the last 20 minutes). UNM is 9-2 this season when taking a lead into the final quarter.
The Lobos led for the majority of the game in nine 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. Much like the Air Force game, the Lobos used a 10-0 run in the first quarter to pull away and started the second quarter on a 10-2 run, leading for all but 46 seconds in the game against the Wolf Pack. UNM led for 37:36 against Nevada and by as many as 12 in the second quarter.
On the season, UNM is outscoring its opponents 298-239 in the first quarter (+59). The Lobos are outscoring opponents by 227-196 in the second (+31) and 267-252 (+15) in the third, but trailing 286-283 in the fourth. UNM holds a 1075-973 (+102) edge in overall points.
In addition, the Lobos have led for a total of 373:38 this season, leading after the first quarter in 11 games (exception was Gonzaga and at NMSU; tied against Pepperdine and Abilene Christian), and trailed for a total of 175:38, 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 SAN DIEGO STATE
The Aztecs are averaging 71.6 points per game, led by two in double figures with senior Adryana Quezada (11.1 ppg) and freshman Naomi Panganiban (10.5 ppg). Panganiban has led the Aztecs in scoring in two games and Quezada has led the team in scoring in four games with the duo sharing the lead in one game. Six different players have led SDSU in scoring in a game.
Two Aztecs (Kim Villalobos and Veronica Sheffey) have started all 15 games with five players appearing in all 15 games.
Defensively, the Aztecs are allowing 58.6 ppg, holding four opponents under 50 points in a game. Their three losses are to Providence (55-54), SFA (89-80 in two overtimes) and at Colorado State in the last game. SDSU leads the Mountain West in scoring margin at +13.0 and is second in free throw percentage (.745), turnover margin (+6.5) and scoring defense.
Cali Clark leads the Aztecs in rebounds per game (8.7), blocks (24) and steals (28) with Sheffey leading in assists with 42.