Wyatt S. Padilla - The Daily Lobo

Sports

Men’s Basketball: Nevada pokes a hole in Lobos bubble

Wyatt S. Padilla | February 26

Wolfpack Head Coach Steve Alford continued to bring more heartbreak to Lobos fans as his University of Nevada, Reno team put a massive hole in the University of New Mexico men's basketball team's bubble and their hopes of making the NCAA Tournament with a win over the Lobos, 67-60. During the Tuesday, Feb. 24 game, Lobo guard Jake Hall led the Lobos with 17 points and broke the Mountain West Freshman record for most points scored in conference play, with 291; the previous record was 278, set by Brandon McCoy of UNLV in 2017-18.

Sports

Women's Basketball: Lobos sweep series against Falcons

Wyatt S. Padilla | February 23

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.

Sports

Men’s Basketball: Lobos ground Falcons in blowout win

Wyatt S. Padilla | February 21

With an NCAA tournament berth on the line in the closing final stretch of Mountain West play, the Lobos, who are on the bubble of getting an at-large bid into the tournament, were able to avoid a stain on their resume on Tuesday, Feb. 17, as the University of New Mexico put up a dominant performance against the Air Force Falcons, winning 98-61. The win completed the season sweep against the Falcons and gave the Lobos their 20th win of the season, which allowed Lobo Head Coach Eric Olen to join Norm Ellenberg, Dave Bliss, Steve Alford and Craig Neal as the fifth Lobo head coach to win 20 games in their first season with the program. “It is important in situations like this to play good basketball throughout the game. I thought we did that tonight for the most part,” Olen said.

Sports

Lobo women's basketball lassos Cowgirls, running past Wyoming

Wyatt S. Padilla | February 8

Sitting at about 7,220 feet above sea level, the University of Wyoming is one of the toughest places in the country to play, with the highest altitude gym in Division I. The Lobos all- time are 15-27 in Laramie, and are 4-4 under Head Coach Mike Bradbury when visiting Wyoming. But on Wednesday, Feb. 4, the Lobo Women’s basketball team threw those stats aside and put Wyoming to the test, surging past the Cowgirls in the second quarter to take control of the game, and winning 58-51.

Sports

Lobo mens basketball avoids trap game, downing San José State

Wyatt S. Padilla | February 2

Jan. 14, 2025, will remain one of the toughest pills to swallow from last year’s Lobo men’s basketball season, which resulted in a Mountain West Regular Season title and Second Round appearance in the NCAA Tournament. That Tuesday in January San Jose almost derailed the Lobos season as the 9-10 San José State University Spartans took down the Lobos. On Saturday, Jan. 31, Lobo fans were able to belt out a sigh of relief as guard Jake Hall led the Lobos to a 10-point victory over the Spartans while scoring a career-high 27 points, with a 90-80 victory.

Sports

Lobo women’s basketball breaks three game losing streak against Falcons

Wyatt S. Padilla | January 26

On Saturday, Jan. 24, The University of New Mexico Lobos Women’s basketball team lifted itself out of a massive slump that included a three-game losing streak, as sophomore guard Joana Magalhães scored a career-high 29 points, grounding the U.S. Air Force Academy at Falcon Stadium in a 74-57 win. Magalhães went nine of 14 from the field, five of six from three and went perfect from the free throw, going six of six. The Lobos saw a big-time return of their defense to offense style. The largest factor, besides Magalhães going off, was the 24 turnovers that the Lobos forced onto the Falcons, which created 18 points and 19 steals for UNM. Guard Alyssa Hargrove chipped in a game-high five steals, with Magalhães and guard Destinee Hooks combining for another seven.

Sports

GCU vanquishes Lobo women's basketball team in The Pit

Wyatt S. Padilla | January 19

The new kids on the block in the Mountain West, the Grand Canyon University Antelopes, were blessed with a victory against the University of New Mexico Lobos women’s basketball team, winning 75-62 on Saturday Jan. 17. The Lopes came into the Pit with a 5-12 record, but tied UNM in the Mountain West standings at 4-3. The Lobos entered on an unusual losing slide that included a homecourt loss to Nevada and a brutal 17-point road loss to San Diego State, hoping to right the ship with a return to The Pit. GCU, however, had different plans and handed UNM its third loss in a row, as well as its third loss in The Pit this season.

Sports

Aztecs refuse Lobos in one final battle

Wyatt S. Padilla | January 15

Under Head Coach Mike Bradbury, the University of New Mexico Lobos women’s Basketball team has faced no other opponent more than the San Diego State University Aztecs, playing SDSU 22 times and going 10-12. The two teams have met 12 times over the last four years, with eight meetings in conference play, and four times in the conference tournament. The Lobos and Aztecs are 6-6 in those last twelve meetings, but the Aztecs have remained the thorn in the Lobos’ shoulders. The last win the Lobos got in the Mountain West Tournament was against the Aztecs in the Semifinals in 2022, and since then, the Aztecs have been the team to bounce the Lobos from the tournament the last three years. The Aztecs continued to have the Lobos’ number on Wednesday, Jan. 14, dominating UNM in the fourth quarter to pull a victorious win 73-56, in what could be the last meeting between the two teams as SDSU moves on to the Pac-12 next season.

Sports

Lobos buck Cowboys back to the highlands

Wyatt S. Padilla | December 4

After last week’s turkey trot race in The Pit, the University of New Mexico Lobos men’s basketball team found itself in a more comfortable game against their northern New Mexican cousin, the New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys. The Lobos would take care of business and walk out having more than doubled NMHU’s total scoring, winning 97-47 on Monday, Dec. 1.

Sports

Lobo men’s basketball mounts 15-point comeback against Hornets

Wyatt S. Padilla | December 1

Thanksgiving may have been on the mind for the rest of New Mexico, but on the eve of Turkey Day, the University of New Mexico Men’s basketball team had one more thing on its plate as the Lobos faced the Alabama State University Hornets. On Wednesday, Nov. 26, the Lobos overcame the odds and won a 93-87 victory, recovering from a 15-point deficit near the end of the first half. UNM has faced Alabama State in two previous matchups in The Pit, with the Lobos beating the Hornets on both occasions. The last matchup between the two was in 1999 at the Lobo Invitational, with UNM beating Alabama State 68-47.