ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Lobos head south for the lone meeting of the season with New Mexico State on Sunday with a 2 p.m. tip time. UNM enters the game 3-1 with Sunday its second road game of the season. NMSU enters 1-1 with a win over New Mexico Highlands and a loss to No. 18 USC.
SERIES HISTORY
The Lobos lead the series 58-29 and are 7-3 in the last 10 meetings. UNM is 26-16 in Las Cruces. Coach Mike Bradbury is 11-4 all-time against the Aggies, including an eight-game win streak spanning from Nov. 18, 2017 to Dec. 5, 2021.
20 TIMES 2 FOR HOOKS
Destinee Hooks has led the Lobos in scoring in the last two games, scoring 20 or more points in both. Hooks led the Lobos with a game-high 22 points at Colorado and followed that up with a game-high 20 points against North Carolina A&T. Sunday was the eighth time scoring 20-plus points at UNM.
Hooks went off for 12 points in the second quarter against the Buffs, using a personal 7-0 run in the first 2:03 of the quarter to give UNM a 19-18 lead, and went 5-7 from the floor and 2-3 from three-point range. The Lobo guard continued to pace the Lobos with six point in the third quarter. In addition to leading the team in points, she also led with seven rebounds (four offensive).
Against North Carolina A&T, Hooks scored eight of her 20 points in the second quarter on an 8-0 personal run that included four layups. Hooks also recorded her second steal of the game that led to an Alyssa Hargrove three with four seconds left that gave UNM a 32-26 lead at the break to close a 7-0 UNM run in the final 1:20 (which started with her layup).
Through the first four games of the season, Hooks is averaging 17.5 points per game with 2.3 three-pointers per game, shooting 42.9% from behind the arc with nine three-pointers. She’s also leading the team with 5.0 rebounds per game behind a team-high nine offensive rebounds.
Hooks is third in the conference in scoring, and is tied for sixth in three-pointers per game and ninth in field-goal percentage (43.9%). Nationally, she is 34th in points (70) and in field goals (25), 31st in field goal attempts (57), 91st in free-throw attempts (19) and 70th in three-pointers.
FAST START
The Lobos made four of their first five shots in the season opener against Northern Arizona with Nayli Padilla accounting for five points. At Colorado, CU scored the first six points of the game, but three-pointers from Destinee Hooks and Clarissa Craig tied the game. Two free throws by Craig and a basket by Joana Magalhães continued the Lobo run for the 10-6 UNM lead.
Against New Orleans, the Lobos scored the first seven points, built a 15-4 lead within the first 4:29 with the lead growing to 21 at 27-6 behind a 9-0 run in a span of 1:11. A jumper from Hooks with 18 seconds left closed the quarter with UNM leading 37-12. The Lobos shot 72.2% in the first quarter on 13-18 shooting with five three-pointers. UNM scored 65 points in the first 20 two quarters.
UNM is outscoring opponents 81-55 (+26) in the first quarter and 173-119 (+54) in the first 20 minutes.
99 POINTS ON THE BOARD
The Lobos scored 99 points against New Orleans on Wednesday, shooting 52.2% in the game, including 68.6% in the first half.
Nayli Padilla led the Lobos in scoring with 17 points while coming off the bench, besting her career high from the last game against North Carolina A&T of 15 points, while tying her career high of three, three-pointers. Destinee Hooks finished with 16 points and Cacia Antonio and Drew Jordon each contributed 10 points.
As a whole, the bench accounted for 51 of UNM’s total points and as a team, the Lobos tallied 21 assists on the 35 made field goals. At the line, the Lobos were an efficient 20-23, making their first eight free throws and behind the arc made nine three-pointers.
ART OF THE STEAL
The Lobos are averaging 13.5 steals per game behind three games with double-digit steals: 18 against New Orleans, 16 against North Carolina A&T and 14 in the season opener against Northern Arizona.
UNM was credited with 14 steals against Northern Arizona with six players recording at least one steal, three players with multiple steals and two players setting career highs in steals. Nayli Padilla finished with a career-high three steals and Joana Magalhães registered a career-high six steals. Magalhães’ steals were the most by a MW player in the first two days of the season.
Against A&T, UNM recorded 11 steals in the first 20 minutes (six in the first quarter, five in the second), finishing with 16 in the game. Six players had at least one steal with five with multiple steals.
For the second time in three games, Magalhães was credited with six steals with three in each half. The sophomore is averaging 3.3 steals per game and is 17th in the NCAA in steals (13). The 13 steals accounts for 24.1% of UNM’s total steals. Her season high last season was four, which she did twice.
Alyssa Hargrove had a career-best seven steals in the game against New Orleans with UNM creating a season-best 18 steals as a team. The seven steals are tied for the eighth most in a game by a DI player this season. Drew Jordon was credited with three and Laila Abdurraqib and Tyler Jones each had two. UNM had 13 steals in the first two quarters with seven in the first quarter (Hargrove had three).
UNM is tied for 42nd in the NCAA in steals per game and second in the MW in steals per game (13.5) with the most steals (54). Magalhães is fourth in the conference in steals per game but tied for the most steals. Hargrove is tied for fifth in steals per game (3.0).
For comparison, UNM reached double-digit steals in 11 games last season, with the season high of 15, and averaged 7.9 steals per game.
MAKING THE MOST OF THE OPPORTUNITY
Nayli Padilla started the first three games of the season after starting one game last season and made the most of her increased minutes.
In the three games, the sophomore averaged 10.7 points per game with 4.7 rebounds per game, 1.7 steals per game and 2.0 assists per game in 33.8 minutes per game. For comparison, last season she averaged 3.7 points per game, 2.2 rebounds per game, 1.6 assists per game and 0.6 steals per game in 25 games.
Padilla scored nine points with five rebounds, four assists and a career-best three steals in the season opener. In the last game against North Carolina A&T, she scored a career-high 15 points, the second-most points by a Lobo in the game, with a career-high three, three-pointers.
The Spaniard scored eight of her points in the fourth quarter, with a three-pointer that gave UNM a 58-57 lead and another three-pointer 37 seconds later to put UNM by four. When the Aggies were within two at 64-62, Padilla drove to the basket and dished it off to Jessie Joaquim for the layup and added a free throw with five seconds left for the final point. She also added two steals, four rebounds, two assists and block in the win.
Padilla is tied for sixth in the conference in three-pointers per game (2.3), 17th in points per game (12.3) and is ninth in minutes played (31.1).
She came off the bench against New Orleans and led the team with 17 points on a career-best six made field goals, again making three three-pointers.
HOW MUCH DO YOU BENCH
The bench proved to be a sign of strength for the Lobos in both exhibition games, with 33 points against Adams State coming from the bench and 26 points at UTA. Additionally, the bench combined for seven assists, five steals and 25 rebounds at UTA and six steals and 29 rebounds against ASU.
UNM got 21 points and 11 rebounds from the bench in the season opener and the bench scored 18 points at Colorado. Against New Orleans, UNM’s bench accounted for 51 points (51.5%), with two players in double figures, 21 rebounds (51.2%), nine assists (42.9%) and nine steals (50.0%).
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
The Aggies are averaging 63.0 points per game, led by two in double figures. Lucia Yenes leads with 25.0 ppg with Imani Warren at 13.0 ppg. Warren leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game and eight assists with Yenes leading in blocks (four).
NMSU is averaging 16.5 assists per game, 9.0 steals per game, 34.0 rebounds per game and averaging 2.5 three-pointers per game with Yenes making three of the team’s five.
The Aggies outscore their opponent in the first (31-28) and third (36-30) quarters but are outscored in the second (45-30) and fourth (45-29).