Senior night in The Pit is always a special occasion for players, coaches and fans, but it was so much sweeter for the Lobos when they put 20 points between them and a conference foe at the same time.
On Saturday, Feb. 21, the University of New Mexico Women’s basketball team, led by guards Destinee Hooks and Nayli Padilla, beat down the Air Force Academy Falcons, winning 73-53.
Before the opening tip of the game, the Lobos celebrated three seniors, guard Alyssa Hargrove, forward-center Clarissa Craig and manager Kaylyn Henry who has been with the program for four years. Hargove and Craig joined the program two years ago when the Lobos had a massive roster turnover that saw them lose nine of thirteen players to the transfer portal.
Hargrove has been a starter for the Lobos for the past two seasons, and Craig has seen injuries plague her time at UNM, though she has recorded nine starts for the Lobos.
Hargrove scored 2 points in the game and contributed to the team’s win with her stellar defense and a stat sheet filled with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.
UNM had four players score in double digits as Hooks and Padilla drilled 12 points, and forward Jessie Joaquim and point guard Laila Abdurraqib both scored 11, combining for 46 of the Lobos’ 73 points. All 12 Lobos were able to notch some minutes in a win that saw the Lobos drain 35 points from the bench.
Guard Drew Jordon also saw her first career start with the Lobos against the Falcons as she replaced guard Cacia Antonio in the starting lineup.
Lobos Head Coach Mike Bradbury accounted for the change in the lineup.
“Cacia wasn’t ready, and I thought Drew played well,” Bradbury said.
New Mexico seemed to have finally gotten out of its offensive headwind that had cursed the Lobos in the last half of the season, as just in the last two weeks UNM had two games in which they scored 35 points at Boise State and 46 points against Colorado State in The Pit. UNM has scored over 70 points 13 times so far this season and is 12-1 in those games, with the lone loss being at UNLV.
UNM shot 48% from the field and 43% from three while also keeping the Falcons grounded at a measly 29% from the field and 28% from three. During the third quarter, the Lobos held the Falcons to just six points while UNM knocked in 18, a mountain the Falcons couldn’t fly over.
“I’m proud of our focus and energy, bouncing back after a tough game on Wednesday night. Air Force is a tough team to play against. They always put up a fight. Our players were up to the challenge today,” Bradbury said.
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The win puts the Lobos into fifth place in the Mountain West Standings, out of contention for being able to clinch a share of the regular season championship but in a position to still grab a first-round bye in the Mountain West Tournament if they’re able to jump into fourth place. UNM has only three games left in conference play before heading to Vegas for the tournament, making the last three that much more important.
The Lobos will head back on the road for a two-game stretch starting Wednesday, Feb. 25, in Logan, Utah, against the 11th-place Utah State University Aggies. Then on Saturday, Feb. 28, the Lobos will visit the 10th-place University of Nevada Wolfpack in Reno before returning to The Pit to finish out conference play against Fresno State University on March 3.
Wyatt S. Padilla is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @wyattspadilla
