Lobos Open MW Championship with San Diego State Monday
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— For the fourth consecutive year and the 10th time overall, the Lobos will open the MW tournament against San Diego State on Monday at 3:30 p.m. MT in the quarterfinal. UNM is 7-3 when facing the Aztecs in its first game, and in the last three years, two of the three games have been decided by one possession.
The Lobos enter the tournament as the five seed, the fifth time doing so. UNM was the fifth-seed in 2017 (lost to Boise State), in 2016 (defeated San José State and lost to Colorado State), 2013 (defeated UNLV before losing to San Diego State) and 2010 (defeating Colorado State before losing to Utah).
UNM is 2-3 in the MW Championships as the five seed and 8-5 all-time in the tournament against San Diego State.
New Mexico enters the tournament 18-13 on the season, 11-7 in conference, while the Aztecs are 22-9 and also went 11-7 in conference.
SERIES HISTORY
The Lobos are 42-37 all-time against the Aztecs, 8-7 in neutral games. UNM is 5-5 in the last 10 games against SDSU.
UNM split the season series with SDSU, with each team winning on the road.
MOUNTAIN OF STATS
Among the Mountain West teams, the Lobos rank in the top three in six categories: first in two, second in two and third in two.
The Lobos lead the MW in defensive rebounds per game (28.2) and rebounds per game (39.0), are second in scoring (71.0) and blocks per game (4.5) and are third in rebounding margin (+3.2) and tied for third in steals per game (7.9).
On an individual level, Viané Cumber leads the conference in free throw percentage (.907), three-point field goal percentage (.363), three-pointers per game (2.6), and in made three-pointers with 82, 13 more than the next MW player. She’s also fifth in minutes played (33.0), eighth in defensive rebounds per game (4.9) as well as ninth in field goal percentage (.409), and sixth in scoring (15.5). 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 eighth in the conference in points per game at 15.3 and fourth in field goal percentage (.452).
Alyssa Hargrove is third in the conference in assists per game (4.3), tied for third in steals per game (2.1) and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.4). Amhyia Moreland is third in blocks per game (1.6) and Hulda Joaquim is fifth in rebounds per game (7.0) and third in offensive rebounds per game (3.2).
Against MW opponents, the Lobos lead in two categories, are second in three categories and third in two. UNM leads in defensive rebounds per game (28.6) and rebounds per game (39.0). The Lobos are second in scoring (70.3), assists per game (14.4) and blocks per game (4.3) and third in three-pointers per game (tied at 7.6) and defensive three-point field goal percentage (.322).
Cumber is 10th in points per game (15.2) and leads the conference in three-pointers made per game (2.6) and in made three-pointers (47, eight more than the next MW player), as well as in three-point percentage (.359). She is also second in free-throw percentage (.873). Joaquim leads the MW in offensive rebounds (3.3) and seventh in rebounds per game (6.9). Hargrove is second in assists per game (4.9) and tied for fourth in steals per game (2.0).
CONSISTENT V
Viané Cumber has scored in double figures in 26 games this season, tied for the most by a Lobo this season, with eight games with 20 or more points.
She is currently averaging 15.5 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game, 1.5 assists per game and shooting 40.9% from the floor, 36.3% from three-point range and 90.7% from the free-throw line. Cumber leads the team in points per game, behind 160 made field goals (second on the team), and is second in rebounds per game. She is fourth in steals (25) and in assists (47). The Albuquerque native also leads the team in made three-pointers with 82, 39 more than the next Lobo. Cumber has led the Lobos in scoring in 11 games, tied for the team lead in one, and has three double-doubles. In conference games, she’s averaging 15.2 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game, shooting 38.0% and 35.9% from three-point range in 33.3 minutes per game.
Last season, Cumber scored in double figures in 17 games with four games of 20-plus points, leading the Lobos in scoring six times. The Lobo also registered three double-doubles, with 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against Eastern Illinois, 21 points and 11 rebounds against Utah State and 11 rebounds and 10 points at San Diego State.
Further, Cumber has scored in double figures 62 times and 20 or more points 14 times in her career.
Cumber recently reached a couple of milestones, becoming the 27th Lobo to reach 1000-career points at Colorado State (currently at 1182) and has a program-record 240 three-pointer, which she hit in at the 8:53 mark of the third quarter at home against Air Force. She is the fourth Lobo in program history to reach 200 career three-pointers, which she did against Wyoming on Jan. 8.
In her career, she has made a three in 88 games with 64 games with multiple threes, three or more three-pointers in 38 career games and 15 career games with five or more three-pointers. She has made at least one three-pointer in 62 of the last 66 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 20 games and three or more in 14 games.
3-4 INSTANT IMPACT
Alyssa Hargrove has reached double digits in 13 games as a Lobo, averaging 8.2 ppg on the season. Additionally, she is averaging 4.3 apg, 2.1 spg, 3.6 rpg, and 0.9 bpg in 31.2 mpg, while shooting 38.4% from the floor and 39.3% from three with two three-pointers in nine games and tied her career high with three against Colorado State and again at UNLV. This season she has also set a career high in blocks (three versus Abilene Christian, San Diego State and San José 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 (65) and assists (134), is third in made three-pointers (35), second in blocks (28) and third in scoring with a steal in 27 games and a block in 17. The Ohio native has 25 more steals than the next Lobo and 55 more assists than the next Lobo. Hargrove is 66th in steals in the NCAA and 58th in assists in the NCAA.
In MW games, Hargrove is averaging 8.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.9 apg, 2.0 spg in 33.3 mpg. Her minutes are the eighth most in the MW.
Destinee Hooks has been a consistent scorer for the Lobos, reaching double figures in 26 games overall, and has scored 20-plus points in six games. She has also led the Lobos in scoring in 14 games.
In MW games, Hooks is averaging 14.2 ppg, shooting 42.0%. 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 eight of the MW games to date.
Hooks is second on the team in scoring at 15.4 ppg, in made free throws (63) and three-pointers (43). Additionally, she is currently 75th in the NCAA in field goals (185).
ABOUT SAN DIEGO STATE
The Aztecs have won their five games to finish 11-7 in conference and are averaging 67.2 points per game while allowing 62.2 points per game against conference opponents.
SDSU is led in scoring in conference games by Veronica Sheffey at 12.6 points per game, who also leads the team in steals (23) and assists (51).
The Aztecs have the third-best scoring defense in the conference and the second-best field goal percentage defense in the MW, holding opponents to 39.1%, as well as the second-best field-goal percentage in the conference against conference opponents at 45.5%. In addition, they are holding MW opponents to 31.5 rebounds per game, also the second-best rate in the MW.