ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— While not an official game, Wednesday will be the first official chance for Lobo fans to see the 2025-26 New Mexico women’s basketball team in action as the Lobos face Adams State in an exhibition in The Pit.
The scheduled start time is 7 p.m. with tickets available at golobos.com/tickets.
Heading into the season, the Lobos return a core of six players, led by junior Destinee Hooks, graduate student Alyssa Hargrove and sophomore Joana Magalhães, with the trio starting in over 30 games last season.
Hooks is UNM’s returning leading scorer, averaging 15.0 points per game, shooting 45.3% from the floor, and finished in double figures in 26 games with 20-plus points in six games, while starting in 31 games. Further, the Indiana native, who earned Mountain West Honorable Mention following her first year as a Lobo, recorded two double-doubles and finished third on the team in assists (58) and steals (28).
Hargrove started all 32 games in her first year as a Lobo, averaging 8.3 points per game, 3.7 rebounds per game, 2.2 steals per game and 0.9 blocks per game in 31.2 minutes per game. The Ohio native finished in double figures in 13 games and recorded her first double-double with 11 rebounds and 10 assists against Boise State, becoming the first Lobo to register an assist and rebound double-double since 2016. Strong on the defensive end, Hargrove recorded a steal in 28 games with 18 games with multiple steals and seven games with four or more steals, finishing second in the Mountain West in steals and steals per game and third in assists and assists per game.
In her freshman season, Magalhães started 30 games and played in all 32, earning a spot on the Mountain West All-Freshman Team. The guard averaged 7.1 points per game, 3.9 rebounds per game, 2.5 assists per game, 1.4 steals per game and scored in double figures in 11 games with a season-high 20 points at Colorado State. Further, she had five or more assists in four games with a season-high six against Morehead State and recorded a steal in 22 games with multiple steals in 14 games.
UNM also returns Clarissa Craig, who sat out all of last year due to injury, and adds an inside presence for the Lobos after spending the previous two seasons at Cincinnati.
In the offseason, the Lobos brought in seven players with four highly-touted freshmen in Laila Abdurraqib, Tyler Jones, Leonor Peixinho and Kaia Foster, and added three transfers in Cacia Antonio, Emma Najjuma and Jessie Joaquim.
Wednesday’s exhibition is the first of two before the regular season starts, with UNM traveling to UT Arlington for its second exhibition on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 4 p.m. MT. The Lobos open the regular season at home against Northern Arizona on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. MT.