The University of New Mexico Women’s Basketball team came out hot in The Pit on Wednesday, Oct. 22, where the team hosted the Division II Adams State University Grizzlies in the squad’s first of two exhibition games they will play.
UNM started junior guard Destinee Hooks, graduate guard Alyssa Hargrove, junior transfer guard Cacia Antonio, sophomore guard Joana Magalhães and redshirt senior center Clarissa Craig. This could be the first indication of who will start for the team after UNM lost two key starters from last year, Vianè Cumber and Hulda Joaquim.
Antonio joined the Lobos this year as a transfer from New Mexico Junior College, where she was named the WBCA Player of the Year. Craig was on last year’s roster, but suffered an injury before the season that kept her from hitting The Pit floor.
UNM boasted a high defensive effort from the get-go, as Magalhães and Hargrove set the tempo for the team and didn’t let up for the entirety of the game. When halftime came around, the Lobos had held the Grizzlies to only two made field goals out of 28 attempts. The Lobos, on the other hand, shot 17 out of 28 on field goals, five out of nine from three and went seven out of 11 from the charity stripe.
Magalhães led the team in points at the break with 10 points that all came from the paint. A rather sore spot for the Lobos was their lack of ball control, as they committed nine turnovers in the first half compared to the six of the Grizzlies. The score at the half was 46-14 Lobos.
Coming out of halftime, the Lobos were not ready to let off the gas, something that the team struggled with last season, that cost them vital games. Hooks came out of the gate scoring on back-to-back possessions as the Lobos continued to dominate the Grizzlies at every aspect of the game with a total of 57 rebounds, 15 assists, 11 steals and five blocks.
Throughout the entirety of the game, Hooks led the Lobos in points with a total of 15, which contributed to the Lobos’ massive win of 81-35.
The Lobos bench scored a whopping 31 points, with freshman guards Laila Abdurraqib and Kaia Foster coming off the bench and combining for 15 points.
“It felt amazing to just play in front of all of (the) fans,” Abdurraqib said.
The freshman duo made their debut against Adams State and were ready to get to work for the fans.
“It’s great, the atmosphere is crazy and just the fans, my teammates, like everyone is so supportive,” Foster said
UNM did have its struggles in the wide-margined victory, as they committed 15 turnovers during the match and shot 10 out of 17 from the free-throw line.
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Lobo Head Coach Mike Bradbury was pleased with how his team performed as they checked some of his boxes, he said.
“I thought our effort was really good, our communication, and those were two things we knew we could focus on,” Bradbury said.
The Lobos were picked to finish fifth in conference play by the Mountain West Preseason Poll, announced on Wednesday, Oct. 22. The Lobos received two first-place votes in the poll, but the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Rebels were the overwhelming first-place pick from the media.
The Lobos will be back in action on Tuesday, Oct. 28, when they will travel to Arlington, Texas, to take on the University of Texas at Arlington to close out their exhibition games for the year. The team will officially tip off the season by hosting the Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks at The Pit on Nov. 3.
Wyatt S. Padilla is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @wyattspadilla
