Lobos Face Rams on Road Saturday
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Following their first bye of the conference season, the Lobos return to the road to face Colorado State on Saturday afternoon on the Mountain West Network. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
The Lobos (11-7, 4-1 MW) and Rams (13-5, 4-1 MW) are two of three teams with one loss in conference play with both teams having won four of their last five with both losses coming to UNLV. CSU is 7-3 in its last 10 games and UNM is 6-4 in its last 10 games.
SERIES HISTORY
The Lobos are 50-41 all-time against Colorado State, but 13-25 in Fort Collins. In the last two years, the teams have split the series with each team winning on their home court. However, from the stretch of Feb. 27, 2018 to Feb. 2, 2022, the Lobos had an eight-game winning streak in the series, which included UNM’s last win in Fort Collins on Jan. 15, 2022.
UNM is 2-3 in the last five games played at CSU.
Coach Mike Bradbury is 10-6 against the Rams, 2-4 on the road.
IT’S FREE, ISN’T IT?
Viané Cumber is about as automatic as they come from the line. The New Mexico native is 48-49 on the season, missing her first free throw before making 48 consecutive free throws. Her 48 (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 currently leads the NCAA in free throw percentage at 98.0%, ahead of Jenna Batsch from Kent State (66-69, 95.7%) and Peyton Kennedy from Saint Louis (66-69, 95.7%). Additionally, she is the only player in the NCAA to have missed only one free throw attempt this season that has made 2.5 per game and played in 75% of their team’s games.
3-4 INSTANT IMPACT
Alyssa Hargrove has reached double digits in nine games as a Lobo, averaging 8.3 ppg on the season. Additionally, she is averaging 3.3 apg, 2.2 spg, 2.6 rpg, and 0.9 bpg in 28.9 mpg, while shooting 38.8% from the floor and 43.5% from three with two three-pointers in seven games.
Hargrove currently leads the team in steals (40) and assists (60), is third in made three-pointers (20), second in blocks (16) and third in scoring with a steal in 16 games and a block in 10. The Ohio native has 18 more steals than the next Lobo and 15 more assists than the next Lobo. Hargrove is fourth in the conference in steals per game and 48th in steals in the NCAA. She is also fifth in the MW in assists per game.
Destinee Hooks has been a consistent scorer for the Lobos, reaching double figures in 15 of the last 16 games, 16 games overall, and has scored 20-plus points in six games including the last two. She has also led the Lobos in scoring in 10 games including the last four.
In MW games, Hooks is averaging 19.6 ppg (second in the MW), shooting 50.6%. Additionally, Hooks has recorded at least 15 points and a steal in all five conference games this season. The only MW players to start a campaign with a longer streak in conference play are Utah’s Morgan Warburton in 2008 (first seven games) and Fresno State’s KiKi Moore in 2013 (first seven games).
Hooks currently leads the Lobos in scoring at 17.7 ppg and second in made free throws (47) and three-pointers (23). Additionally, she is fourth in the MW in scoring and is third in field goal percentage (.500) and currently 22nd in the NCAA in field goals (124), 35th in points (318), 62nd in points per game and 78th in field-goal percentage.
PAINT POINTS
The trend of prioritizing the paint points has continued from last season with UNM scoring 652 of its 1289 points in the paint, accounting for 50.6% of the points and an average of 36.2 points per game. The Lobos are outscoring opponents 652-512 (+140) in the paint and have outscored opponents in the paint in 12 games (9-3 in those games).
UNM has scored 50.0% or more of its points in a game in the paint in 10 games, four times scoring 60.0% or more of its points in a game in the paint.
MOUNTAIN OF STATS
Among the Mountain West teams, the Lobos rank in the top three in eight categories, second in four.
The Lobos are second in field goal percentage (.445), rebounding margin (+3.9), blocks per game (4.4), and defensive rebounds per game (27.1). UNM is third in scoring offense (71.6), rebounding defense (34.1), rebounds per game (38.0) and steals per game (9.1).
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 free throw percentage (.980) and is second in three-pointers per game (2.4), and with 43 made three-pointers. She’s also fourth in minutes played (33.0) and tied for fourth in defensive rebounds per game (5.5), seventh in field goal percentage (.431) and sixth in scoring (15.4). 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 the second most. Destinee Hooks is fourth in the conference in points per game at 17.7 and third in field goal percentage (.500). Hooks’ 11 made field goals in the game at Texas Tech tied for the most by a MW player.
Alyssa Hargrove is fifth in the conference in assists per game (3.3), in steals per game (2.2) and in assist/turnover ratio (1.1). Amhyia Moreland is fourth in blocks per game (1.5) and Hulda Joaquim is sixth in rebounds per game (7.1) and fourth in offensive rebounds per game (3.1).
Against MW opponents, the Lobos are ranked second in steals (8.4) and third in defensive rebounds per game (25.8), free throw percentage (.791), scoring (70.6) and field goal defense (.414). Hooks is second in points per game (19.6) with Cumber 12th (14.0) and Cumber leads the conference in free throw percentage, the only player who hasn’t missed a free throw, with Hooks second (.929). Joaquim is second in offensive rebounds (3.4) and tied for eighth in rebounds per game (7.0).
QUITE THE STEAL
The Lobos have created six or more steals in 15 games and 10 or more steals in eight 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 at San Diego and 10 against New Mexico State. UNM is averaging 9.1 steals per game and 8.4 steals per game in conference games.
Alyssa Hargrove leads the team in steals with 40 (2.2 per game), following three or more steals in eight 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, Gonzaga and San Diego State. She’s recorded a steal in 16 games and multiple steals in 10. 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 and San Diego State. Hargrove has had three or more steals in three MW games to date.
Destinee Hooks has recorded a steal in 13 games, including at least one in the last seven games and two each in four of the last six, and had four against North Texas. Joana Magalhães has also had a steal in 13 games with multiple steals in eight games and a steal in eight of the last nine games. Viané Cumber has had a steal in 12 games, including in the last threee, with multiple steals in five games, and a game-high four against Gonzaga which tied her career high. Hulda Joaquim has recorded a steal in 11 games, with a steal in eight of the last 10 games, and five games with multiple steals in that span. Against New Mexico State, Joaquim tied her career high with three steals, which she last did in 2022. Amhyia Moreland has had a steal in nine games, credited with a career-high four against ACU.
Five Lobos are averaging over a steal per game with Hargrove (2.2), Magalhães (1.2), Cumber and Hooks (1.1) and Joaquim (1.0). Hargrove is fifth in the conference in steals per game with the third-most steals and 51st in steals in the NCAA.
ABOUT CSU
The Rams enter Saturday’s game with MW wins over Utah State (83-74), San José State (87-51) and two wins over San Diego State (67-56 and 62-58) with their lone loss to UNLV (70-61). Against MW opponents, CSU is averaging 72.0 points per game while allowing 61.8. Three Rams are averaging over double digits in MW play, led by Emma Ronsiek at 18.8 and followed by Brooke Carlson (11.2) and Hannah Ronsiek (10.2). The trio are also the only players who have started all five conference games. H. Ronsiek leads in rebounds with 8.2 per game.
On the season, CSU is averaging 69.0 points per game and allowing 59.2. E. Ronsiek is averaging 17.8 points per game and has led the team in scoring in 12 games, including four times in conference games. She has also scored in double figures in 17 games with eight games scoring 20 or more points and leads the MW with 45 three-pointers and a .391 three-point field goal percentage. Additionally, she leads the team in assists (52) with H. Ronsiek leading in steals (23).
As a team, the Rams are fifth in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio with 1.6, second in turnovers per game (9.8), is eighth in fouls per game (13.1), 20th in defensive field goal percentage (.360), 27th in three-point percentage (.360), 31st in three-pointers per game (8.4) and 38th in defensive rebounds per game (28.3), leading the MW in the categories.