Lobos Face Spartans in San Jose Wednesday
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— With five games left on the conference schedule, the Lobos travel to San José State to face the Spartans in the lone regular season meeting on Wednesday night, with tip set for 7 p.m. MT on the Mountain West Network.
UNM enters the game 14-12, 7-6 in conference, coming off of a bye and after defeating Boise State in overtime on Feb. 13. For the Spartans, they are 10-16 on the season, 3-10 in conference and are coming off of a loss at Wyoming on Saturday.
SERIES HISTORY
The Lobos hold a 17-4 advantage in the series heading into the lone regular season meeting against the Spartans. New Mexico has won the last five games in the series and is 7-3 in games played at SJSU.
Coach Bradbury is 10-3 against San José State 4-2 in road games.
MOUNTAIN OF STATS
Among the Mountain West teams, the Lobos rank in the top three in seven categories: second in four and third in three.
The Lobos are second in the conference in scoring (72.1), blocks per game (4.1) and defensive rebounds per game (27.5), and tied for second in rebounds per game (38.2).. The Lobos are third in field goal percentage (.434), three-point field goal percentage (.343) and steals per game (8.3).
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 second 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. The 15 made three-pointers at UNLV is tied for the most by a MW team this season.
On an individual level, Viané Cumber leads the conference in free throw percentage (.931), three-point field goal percentage (.377), three-pointers per game (2.8), and in made three-pointers with 72, 14 more than the next MW player. She’s also second in minutes played (33.5), fifth in defensive rebounds per game (5.2) as well as fifth in field goal percentage (.427), and fifth in scoring (16.2). 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 16.4 and third in field goal percentage (.465).
Alyssa Hargrove is third in the conference in assists per game (4.2), second in steals per game (2.2) and sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.4). Amhyia Moreland is third in blocks per game (1.4) and Hulda Joaquim is sixth in rebounds per game (7.1) and tied for third in offensive rebounds per game (3.2).
Against MW opponents, the Lobos are second in six categories: steals per game (7.2), in three-pointers per game (8.1), scoring (72.2), assists per game (14.5), rebounds per game (37.6) and defensive rebounds per game (27.4). Hooks is eighth in points per game (15.8) with Cumber sixth (16.5) and Hooks sixth in field goal percentage (.434). Cumber leads the conference in three-pointers made per game (2.9) and in made three-pointers (37), as well as in three-point percentage (.385) and is second in free-throw percentage (.902). Joaquim leads the MW in offensive rebounds (3.3) and seventh in rebounds per game (7.1). Hargrove is second in assists per game (4.9) and fourth in steals per game (2.2).
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 second most.
4-FOR-4 DEAL
The Lobos have had a season-high four players score in double figures seven times: against Western New Mexico, South Carolina State, Pepperdine, Air Force, Nevada, Utah State and Boise State. Against WNMU, the Lobos were led by 15 from Destinee Hooks, 13 from Viané Cumber, 12 from Hulda Joaquim and 10 from Alyssa 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. In the game at Utah State, Cumber led with 25 points, followed by 20 from Hargrove, 17 from Magalhães and 15 from Hooks. In the game against Boise State, Cumber led with 27 points, followed by 15 from Magalhães, 13 from Hooks and 11 from Joaquim.
UNM is 7-0 when four players score in double figures this season.
A UNIQUE DOUBLE-DOUBLE
In the game against Boise State on Feb. 13, Alyssa Hargrove recorded her first double-double behind a career-high 11 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists. Hargrove became the first Lobo to register an assist and rebound double-double since 2016, when Cherise Beynon had 13 rebounds and 10 assists against Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 12, 2016.
ROAD WINS
New Mexico is 4-2 in Mountain West road games, outscoring opponents (Air Force, San Diego State, Colorado State, Utah State, Boise State, UNLV) 461-454 (76.8-75.7) and winning by an average of 1.2 points. UNM is shooting 44.3% in the six games, while opponents are 40.5%, as well as going 39.9% from three-point range compared to 31.7% for opponents, making 10.2 three-pointers per game. UNM has made double-digit three-pointers in the last four games, with a season-high 15 at UNLV. The three-pointers have increased from 10 to 12 to 13 to 15 in each of the last four games.
In the six games, UNM is averaging 38.0 rebounds per game, 16.0 assists per game, 8.3 steals per game and has led for 162:57 while trailing for 67:00. 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. The UNLV game was the longest UNM has trailed and by as much as UNM has trailed on the road (37:55 and 26 points).
Viané Cumber leads the Lobos in MW road games with 19.3 points per game, leading the Lobos at Air Force (20), Colorado State (25), Utah State (25) and Boise State (23), with Destinee Hooks averaging 14.3 points per game and leading UNM at San Diego State (18) and UNLV (15). Joana Magalhães has averaged 11.0 points per game and had a season-best 20 points at Colorado State. Alyssa Hargrove is pacing the Lobos with 4.7 assists per game to go with 5.0 rebounds per game, 3.2 steals per game and 10.5 points per game. On the boards, Hulda Joaquim is averaging 7.7 rebounds per game.
ABOUT THE SPARTANS
SJSU enters Wednesday’s game with conference wins over Air Force, San Diego State and Nevada and losses to Nevada, UNLV, Wyoming (twice), Fresno State (twice), Utah State, Air Force, Colorado State and Boise State.
The Spartans have one player averaging double figures in Amiah Simmons, who leads with 13.8 points per game. As a team, San José State averages 65.5 points per game while allowing 70.2 points per game with opponents shooting 41.3% from the floor and 33.7% from three-point range with an average of 6.7 threes per game.
SJSU does have an advantage on the board, averaging 38.2 rebounds per game (which is the identical number of rebounds the Lobos average) with opponents averaging 34.3 rebounds per game. The Spartans have two players averaging 5.8 rebounds per game in Finau Tonga and Djessira Diawara.