Game Six and Seven
NM State (3-2) at New Mexico (6-3)
Friday, Dec. 3 | 7 p.m. | The Pit (15,411) | Albuquerque, N.M.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets
Sunday, Dec. 5 | 2 p.m. | Pan American Center (12,572) | Las Cruces, N.M.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | NM State Game Notes

Opening Tip

The Aggies will head to Albuquerque, N.M., to take on the Lobos of New Mexico in the Battle of I-25 on Friday before hosting the Lobos on Sunday in the Pan American Center.

The Friday evening bout will be the 83rd all-time meeting between the two programs. The Aggies have emerged victorious 30 times in the series, including a 16-game win streak ranging from 1984 to 1996. The last Aggie win came on Nov. 30, 2016, when Tamera William and Brooke Salas each eclipsed 20 points to defeat the Lobos 77-70 in the Pan Am. 

Scouting the Lobos | Roster | Schedule | Statistics

The Lobos are coming off a 15-win season in which they reached the NIT before falling to fellow WAC member California Baptist in the opening round. After a victory over Grambling State on Monday, Head Coach Mike Bradbury became just the second UNM head coach to reach 100 career wins. The Lobos are led in scoring by senior forward Shaiquel McGruder who tallies 14.3 points per game. McGruder is also New Mexico's leader in rebounds per game (6.3) and steals per game (1.8).

Last Time Out | NM State 66, Tennessee Tech 54 | Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021

The Aggies closed out their stay in Puerto Rico with a win over the Golden Eagles at the San Juan Shootout. Deja Terrell had a standout performance as she posted a season-high 11 points to lead the Aggies in scoring in just 19 minutes off the bench. The Aggie bench was crucial in the victory as they scored 31 of the Aggies 66 points. 

The Aggies also had a trio of starters nearly reach double-digits as Mel Isbell, Jade Bradley and Bigue Sarr each score nine. Guards Isbell and Soufia Inoussa were the best Aggies off the glass, pulling down five rebounds each. The NM State was also locked in as they held Tennessee Tech to just 37 percent shooting. 

Up Next

The Aggies will see this same New Mexico squad less than two days after their meeting with the Lobos on Friday. The Rio Grande rival will make the trip down I-25 to take on the Aggies in the Pan American Center on Sunday, Dec. 5, at 2 p.m. (MT).

Sprinting Out of the Gate

The Aggies toppled Western New Mexico in their season opener, winning by a margin of 54 points. This marked the first 50-plus point win since last November when they derailed Park Gilbert, 92-38. Also, five Aggies reached double-digit scoring for the first time since Nov. 26, 2018 when they did so in a win over Northern New Mexico.

In the blowout win, the Aggies were led by Molly Kaiser who finished with a career-high 18 points. Oklahoma State transfer Bigue Sarr also had a productive night, posting 16 points and grabbing six boards in just 16 minutes of action.

2020-21 Highlights

- Finished the regular season riding a three-game winning streak.

- Aaliyah Prince was name Second Team All-WAC and earned WAC All-Defensive Team honors.

- Took down No. 5 Seattle U in the opening round of the WAC tournament as Shania Harper posted a season-high 15 points.

Sights on Six 

NM State will seek its sixth WAC regular season title since the 2014-15 season. The Aggies are 80-18 in conference play across the past seven seasons.

Preseason Picks

NM State was picked to finish in seventh place in the WAC Coaches' Poll while the media selected the Aggies to land in sixth this season. 

The WAC media also selected junior guard Soufia Inoussa to the Second Team All-WAC list.

Bringing Home the Hardware

Following her final season with the Aggies, Aaliyah Prince earned Second Team All-WAC and WAC All-Defensive Team honors. Prince finished the season ranked 11th in the league in steals per game while ranking 13th in points per game.