ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— With both teams entering the game 9-5 in the Mountain West, the Lobos host Colorado State on Saturday at 1 p.m. on Altitude.
Both teams also have similar season records with UNM 17-8 and CSU 18-7. UNM enters the game having won five of its last six games with the Rams losing three of their last four.
Saturday is the National Girls and Women in Sports Day and UNM’s Pink Game.
SERIES HISTORY
The Lobos are 52-42 all-time against Colorado State, 31-14 at home. UNM has won three of the last four games against the Rams, including a 66-59 win in Fort Collins on Jan. 7. The Lobos were led by Laila Abdurraqib’s game- and season-high 25 points with the freshman going 7-9 from three-point range. Three players finished in double figures with Cacia Antonio scoring 11 and Destinee Hooks 10.
UNM outscored CSU 19-2 in the second quarter and 24-18 in the fourth quarter and had the edge in rebounds (42-34), points off of turnovers (18-6), second-chance points (11-4) and bench points (34-2). UNM made 11 three-pointers, outshooting the Rams from behind the arc 42.3% to 23.8%.
The Lobos have won nine of the last 10 games played at home.
FAST START
UNM is outscoring opponents 403-314 (+89) in the first quarter, 435-382 (+53) in the second quarter and 838-696 (+142) in the first 20 minutes.
In the conference opener, the Lobos scored the first 14 points against Boise State with six different Lobos contributing to the points, and against Wyoming, the Lobos scored the first 10 points of the game. Against UNLV, the Lobos built a 13-2 lead behind a 10-0 run with the Lobos making five of their first seven shots. Against Utah State, the Lobos used a 9-0 run to lead 9-2 and closed the first quarter on a 6-0 run to build a 12-point lead.
Further, UNM held Wyoming (5), Boise State (4), San José State (4), Nevada (9), UNLV (9) and Utah State (7) to single digits in the first quarter and held San José State (8), Colorado State (2) and Wyoming (8) to single digits in the second quarter.
WIN THE QUARTER
The second quarter is UNM’s largest quarter for point production at 435 points, followed by the third quarter (428 points), with the first quarter the largest margin of +89.
UNM has outscored its opponent in the first quarter 15 times, the second quarter in 11 games this season, the third quarter 14 times and the fourth quarter 15 times.
The Lobos have also held their opponent below 10 points in a quarter in 13 games this season (five in the fourth quarter against NAU, five in the second quarter against Chicago State, four in the second quarter against NMSU, seven in the second quarter against UTM, nine in the fourth quarter against Houston, four in the first quarter against Boise State, five in the first quarter against Wyoming and seven in the fourth quarter against Wyoming, four in the first quarter at San José State and eight in the second quarter at San José State, two in the second quarter at Colorado State, nine in the first quarter against Nevada, nine in the first quarter against UNLV, seven in the first quarter against Utah State, as well as nine points in the third and six points in the fourth quarter, and eight in the second quarter at Wyoming). The Lobos held the Cowgirls to single digits in two quarters in the first meeting, the first time doing it twice in a game this season, and repeated it the next game against San José State. Against Utah State, the Lobos held the Aggies to single digits in three quarters.
Six times, the Lobos have held their opponent below 20 points at the half: 19 points (Wyoming), 18 points (Utah State), 12 points (San José State), 15 points (New Mexico State), 17 points (Chicago State) and 18 points (UT Martin).
UNM is 13-2 when leading after the first quarter, 16-1 when leading at the half and 15-1 when leading after the third quarter.
SHARE THE WEALTH
In 15 of UNM’s wins, the Lobos have had three or more players score in double figures. Five times (UT Martin, New Orleans, Chicago State, Houston and Boise State), the Lobos have had four players reach double digits. UNM had a season-best five reach double figures at San José State. Only at UNLV has UNM had three players score in double figures and lost, and only at Air Force and against Utah State has UNM had two players finish in double figures and won.
Ten different Lobos have scored 10+ points in a game, led by Destinee Hooks with 22, followed by Cacia Antonio (11), Nayli Padilla (9) and Laila Abdurraqib (9). Alyssa Hargrove has scored in double figures in seven games, Joana Magalhães in six games, Drew Jordon and Jessie Joaquim in two games and Clarissa Craig and Kaia Foster once.
UNM has also had nine different leading scorers in a game with Hooks leading in eight games, Antonio in four, Padilla in four, Magalhães in three, Abdurraqib in two and Hargrove, Joaquim and Craig in one game each. Foster tied Antonio for the team lead in one game.
The Lobos are 7-0 when Hargrove reaches double figures, 8-1 when Abdurraqib scores double figures, 9-2 when Antonio reaches double figures, 7-2 when Padilla does and 5-1 when Magalhães reaches double figures.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Colorado State has gone 1-3 in its last four games with two losses to San Diego State and UNLV and a win over Wyoming. Since the first game against the Lobos, CSU has gone 5-4, which included a four-game winning streak.
The Rams are averaging 66.8 points per game on the season, while allowing a conference-best 55.8 points per game, and are led by Lexus Bargesser (15.7 ppg) and Brooke Carlson (10.3). Bargesser is third in the MW in scoring and leads the conference in field goal percentage (45.9%). Kloe Froebe leads the team with 152 rebounds (6.1 per game) and is third in the MW in offensive rebounds per game (2.8).
CSU leads the MW in scoring margin (+11.0), field goal percentage defense (36.6%), turnover margin (+3.8) and assist/turnover ratio (1.1).
Against conference opponents, the Rams are averaging 63.9 points per game and also leads the conference in scoring defense allowing 57.7 points per game. Bargesser is fourth in the conference at 14.5 points per game, with three players averaging double figures in Bargesser, Carlson (12.1) and Froebe (10.6).
Four players (Bargesser, Carlson, Froebe and Hanna Ronsiek) have started all 14 conference games with Madelyn Bragg starting in 11.