Lobos Head to Las Vegas to Face UNLV Saturday
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Lobos return to the road to face UNLV on Saturday afternoon with tip set for 2 p.m. PT/ 3 p.m. MT on the Mountain West Network.
UNM enters the game 13-11 on the season, 6-5 in conference with UNLV at the top of the Mountain West standings at 18-5, 10-1 in conference. Much like the first meeting, Saturday’s game features the top two offenses in the MW with UNLV leading at 75.2 on the season and UNM at 71.7. Against conference opponents, UNLV leads at 75.6 points per game with UNM third at 71.4 points per game.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will be the second game on the season against UNLV with the Lady Rebels winning the first game 88-73. The Lobos were tied with UNLV at the end of the first (at 19) and at the end of the third quarters (at 58), and led by five following a three by Destinee Hooks with 6:30 remaining in the game, but a 17-0 run by the Lady Rebels was the difference. Hooks finished with a game-high 27 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter and 19 in the final two quarters, and was one of three Lobos to reach double figures. Joana Magalhães scored a then season-high 16 points to go with a team-high seven rebounds and Alyssa Hargrove scored 13 points.
UNLV the all-time series 43-28 with the Lobos 11-28 in Las Vegas, however, UNM did win the last meeting at UNLV 69-66 on Jan. 20, 2024 on a Viané Cumber three-pointer.
Coach Bradbury is 5-12 all-time against UNLV, 3-6 in road games.
MOUNTAIN OF STATS
Among the Mountain West teams, the Lobos rank in the top three in six categories: second in three and third in three.
The Lobos are second in the conference in scoring (71.7), blocks per game (4.1) and defensive rebounds per game (27.4). The Lobos are third in field goal percentage (.437), rebounds per game (38.0) and steals per game (8.5).
UNM’s 10 blocks against Morehead State are tied for the second most in a game by a MW team this season. UNM’s 26 assists at Utah State are tied for the most by a MW team this season and the 101 points at Utah State are the second most scored by a MW team this season.
On an individual level, Viané Cumber leads the conference in free throw percentage (.929), three-point field goal percentage (.372), three-pointers per game (2.7), and in made three-pointers with 64, nine more than the next MW player. She’s also second in minutes played (33.5), fifth in defensive rebounds per game (5.3) as well as sixth in field goal percentage (.426), and in scoring (16.0). Cumber’s seven three-pointers against Morehead State are the most made by a MW player this season with her 14 three-point attempts at Utah State also the most. Her six at Boise State is tied for the second most three-pointers. Destinee Hooks is fourth in the conference in points per game at 16.5 and third in field goal percentage (.474). Hooks’ 11 made field goals in the game at Texas Tech are tied for the second most by a MW player.
Alyssa Hargrove is third in the conference in assists per game (4.0), fifth in steals per game (2.2) and seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.4). Amhyia Moreland is fourth in blocks per game (1.4) and Hulda Joaquim is sixth in rebounds per game (7.1) and fourth in offensive rebounds per game (3.0).
Against MW opponents, the Lobos are second in steals per game (7.6) and in defensive rebounds per game (27.2) and tied for second in rebounds per game (36.9). UNM is third in scoring (71.4) and assists per game (13.8). Hooks is seventh in points per game (16.1) with Cumber eighth (16.0) and Hooks eighth in field goal percentage (.448). Cumber leads the conference in three-pointers made per game (2.6) and in made three-pointers (29) and is second in three-point percentage (.377) and free-throw percentage (.897). Joaquim is third in the MW in offensive rebounds (3.1) and eighth in rebounds per game (7.1). Hargrove is third in assists per game (4.6) and tied for third in steals per game (2.1).
The 36 made baskets against Utah State are tied for the most by a MW team in a conference game this season with the 26 assists in the game the most.
ROAD WINS
New Mexico is 4-1 in Mountain West road games, outscoring opponents (Air Force, San Diego State, Colorado State, Utah State and Boise State) 396-364 (79.2-72.8) and winning by an average of 6.4 points. UNM is shooting 46.1% in the five games, while holding opponents to 38.6%, as well as going 38.0% from three-point range compared to 30.9% for opponents, making 9.2 three-pointers per game. UNM has made double-digit three-pointers in the last three games, with a season-high 13 at Boise State.
In the five games, UNM is averaging 39.2 rebounds per game, 16.0 assists per game, 8.2 steals per game and has led for 161:59 while trailing for 29:05. UNM has not trailed by more than four points in four of the road MW games, trailing by four at Air Force and San Diego State, by three at Utah State and by not more than two at Colorado State, with all coming in the first quarter.
Viané Cumber leads the Lobos in road wins with 21.0 points per game, leading the Lobos at Air Force (20), Colorado State (25), Utah State (25) and Boise State (23), with Destinee Hooks averaging 14.2 points per game and leading UNM at San Diego State (18). Joana Magalhães has averaged 12.2 points per game and had a season-best 20 points at Colorado State. Alyssa Hargrove is pacing the Lobos with 5.0 assists per game to go with 6.0 rebounds per game, 2.8 steals per game and 10.0 points per game. On the baords, Hulda Joaquim is averaging 8.0 rebounds per game.
3-4 INSTANT IMPACT
Alyssa Hargrove has reached double digits in 10 games as a Lobo, averaging 8.5 ppg on the season. Additionally, she is averaging 4.0 apg, 2.2 spg, 3.1 rpg, and 0.9 bpg in 30.8 mpg, while shooting 38.4% from the floor and 42.2% from three with two three-pointers in eight games and tied her career high with three against Colorado State. In the game at Colorado State, Hargrove set a career high in rebounds (nine) to go with a game-high six assists, a team-high three steals and scored six points. This season she has also set a career high in blocks (three versus Abilene Christian and San Diego State) and assists (nine against Utah State). She also had a season-high 20 points at Utah State on a season-high eight made baskets and had four steals and eight rebounds.
Hargrove currently leads the team in steals (52) and assists (96), is third in made three-pointers (27), second in blocks (22) and third in scoring with a steal in 21 games and a block in 14. The Ohio native has 20 more steals than the next Lobo and 34 more assists than the next Lobo. Hargrove is fifth in the conference in steals per game and 54th in steals in the NCAA. She is third in the MW in assists per game and in assists per game in MW games (4.5) and 73rd in assists in the NCAA.
In MW games, Hargrove is averaging 8.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.5 apg, 2.1 spg in 33.7 mpg. Her minutes are the sixth most in the MW.
Destinee Hooks has been a consistent scorer for the Lobos, reaching double figures in 21 games overall, and has scored 20-plus points in six games. She has also led the Lobos in scoring in 11 games.
In MW games, Hooks is averaging 16.1 ppg (seventh in the MW), shooting 44.8%. Additionally, Hooks recorded at least 15 points and a steal in the first 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). She has had 15 points with at least a steal in seven of the MW games to date.
Hooks currently leads the Lobos in scoring at 16.5 ppg and second in made free throws (55) and three-pointers (34). Additionally, she is fourth in the MW in scoring and is third in field goal percentage (.474) and currently 35th in the NCAA in field goals (154) and 52nd in points (397).
THREES IN VIANÉ’S DNA
In her career, Viané Cumber has made a three in 81 games with 60 games with multiple threes, three or more three-pointers in 35 career games and 13 career games with five or more three-pointers. She has made at least one three-pointer in 55 of the last 59 games she’s played in.
Among one of the best three-point shooters in the conference, she made three or more three-pointers 10 times last season. This season, she’s made multiple three-pointers in 16 games and three or more in 11 games.
This season, she’s made 64 with multiple three-pointers in 16: seven against Morehead State, six at Boise State, five against Sacramento State and Utah State, four against Gonzaga, Air Force and Fresno State, three against South Carolina State, North Texas, Abilene Christian and Colorado State and two against Northern Arizona, Texas Tech, Pepperdine, Wyoming and Colorado State. Her seven are tied for the eighth most in a game by a Lobo in program history.
She leads the Mountain West in three-point percentage (.372), three-pointers per game (2.7) and in made three-pointers (nine more than the next MW player). In MW games, she is shooting 37.7% from three and leads the conference in three-pointers (29) and three-pointers per game (2.6). Nationally, she is 12th in the NCAA in three-pointers, seventh in three-point attempts (172) and 27th in three-pointers per game.
Cumber has 222 three-pointers, second all-time in program history. She is the fourth Lobo in program history to reach 200 career three-pointers, which she did against Wyoming on Jan. 8. She is 17 three-pointers from tying the program record of 239 set by LaTascya Duff and would have to average roughly two three-pointers per game.
ABOUT UNLV
Since the Lobos last played the Lady Rebels, UNLV has gone 5-1 with wins over Air Force, Wyoming, Fresno State, Nevada and Utah State with a one-point loss to San Diego State.
The Lady Rebels have four players scoring in double figures on the season, led by 13.9 points per game from Amarachi Kimpson. Kiara Jackson (12.3), Aaliyah Alexander (11.0) and McKinna Brackens (10.0) round out the remaining double-digit scorers with all four having started all 23 games. Alyssa Brown has also started all 23 games and leads the team in rebounds with 7.7. per game.
As a team, UNLV also leads the conference in scoring defense in conference games, allowing 59.4 points per game, in rebounds per game (38.5), rebounding margin (7.4) and has a MW-best 16.2 scoring margin. UNLV is also second in field goal percentage (.448) and field goal percentage defense (.397) against conference opponents, as well as assist/turnover ratio (1.4).
Jackson is fifth in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio (3.4) and 17th in assists (122), averaging 5.3 assists per game which ranks 27th. As a team, UNLV is 14th in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio.