Pack approach: Lobo women ride depth to 77-59 win over NAU

Not bad for an opening act.

The UNM women's basketball team had to work for it, but opening night at the Pit for 2025-26 went into the books as a success. Clarissa Craig scored a team-high 16 points and the Lobos used a pack approach to take a 77-59 win over Northern Arizona.

Destinee Hooks scored 12 points and Alyssa Hargrove added 11 for UNM, which employed all 12 available players and led nearly all the way. Ten players scored for the Lobos.

Not everything went according to plan for UNM, which was limited by foul trouble and scorched by NAU sharpshooter Naomi White, who hit six 3-pointers and scored 24 points. The Lobos were whistled for 21 fouls, forcing coach Mike Bradbury to use some unexpected rotations.

"Foul trouble immediately threw us out of our planned rotation," he said. "The good news was, I thought our freshmen came in and contributed, gave us some good minutes, and we were able to have an experienced group out there in the fourth quarter to finish it off."

That experienced group included Craig, who made the most of her first regular-season game as a Lobo after taking a medical redshirt in 2024-25. The 6-foot-3 senior went 4-for-4 from the field, 8-for-9 from the foul line, grabbed five rebounds and bolstered UNM's defense in the paint.

"It felt great," Craig said. "I really just wanted to do whatever I could to help my teammates. The game plan was just attack, attack, attack. That's what we did and I think the ball just ended up coming my way."

The Lobos' aggressive defense, including full-court pressure on many dead balls, gave the Lumberjacks more than a little trouble. UNM finished with 14 steals and scored 20 points on 17 NAU turnovers.

Joana Magalhães was particularly effective on the defensive side, collecting a career-best six steals to go with eight points, four rebounds and two assists. Magalhães smiled when asked if the high-pressure defense suits her game.

"It's great," she said. "Playing at this pace is wonderful for everyone on our team. I love to pressure people and try to steal the ball. It's a great pace."

UNM's offense was clicking early, as Nayli Padilla, Hooks, Hargrove and Laila Abdurraqib buried first-quarter 3-pointers. The Lobos led 22-15 heading to the second quarter and stretched the margin to 41-27 on another Abdurraqib 3 with 3:20 left.

Magalhães scored on a pair of driving shots during a 10-0 Lobo run in the third quarter, and it seemed UNM was on its way to a blowout win, leading 58-39. But White suddenly caught fire for NAU, hitting four straight 3-pointers during a 12-2 run that pulled the Lumberjacks to within 60-51 with 1:54 left in the quarter.

After a media timeout, Hargrove took over on White defensively. She did not score again.

"In the fourth quarter we finally figured out where White was and got Alyssa on her," Bradbury said. "That obviously made a difference."

UNM led 65-54 after three quarters and used solid defense and an effective post game to finish the Lumberjacks off. Craig and Emma Najjuma combined to score eight points in the fourth, as the Lobos limited NAU to just five points over the final 10 minutes.

Padilla and Abdurraqib scored nine points apiece for UNM, while Najjuma chipped in six. The Lobos finished with a 39-33 rebounding edge and had 18 assists on their 28 field goals. Hargrove led the way with five assists.

UNM will play its first regular-season road game Thursday at Colorado before returning to the Pit on Sunday to face North Carolina A&T at 1 p.m.

LOBOS 77, LUMBERJACKS 59

NORTHERN ARIZONA (0-1)

White 9-24 0-2 24, Taylor 3-7 2-2 10, Watts 3-11 2-3 8, Morris 1-7 4-6 6, Dasovich 2-5 1-2 6, Davis 1-2 0-0 2, Blithikioti 0-2 2-2 2; Robinson 0-0 1-2 1; H. Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Saric 0-0 0-0 0, K. Williams 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-58 12-19 59.

NEW MEXICO (1-0)

Craig 4-4 8-9 16, Hooks 4-10 2-3 12, Hargrove 4-7 1-2 11, Padilla 3-9 2-4 9, Abdurraqib 3-5 0-0 9, Magalhães 4-7 0-2 8, Najjuma 3-3 0-2 6, Foster 1-3 0-0 2, Jordan 1-2, 0-0 2, Jones 1-4, 0-0 2, Peixinho 0-0 0-0 0, Joaquim 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-54 8-21 77.

Northern Arizona 15 20 19 5 — 59

New Mexico 22 22 21 12 — 77

3-point FGs—NAU 9-27 (Watts 0-3, Taylor 2-5, White 6-13, Morris 0-1, Dasovich 1-3, Blithikioti 0-2); UNM 8-21 (Hooks 2-3, Hargrove 2-4, Padilla 1-6, Magalhães 0-1, Foster 0-2, Jones 0-1, Abdurraqib 3-4). Rebounds—NAU 33 (Morris 8, Watts 6, White 4, Blithikioti 3, H. Williams 2, Dasovich 2, Davis 1, Taylor 1, Robinson 1, Saric 1, K. Williams 1); UNM 39 (Foster 6, Hargrove 5, Padilla 5, Craig 5, Hooks 4, Magalhães 4, Najjuma 3, Jordan 1, Joaquim 1). Assists—NAU 11 (Morris 2, White 2, Davis 2, Watts 1, Taylor 1, Dasovich 1, Blithikioti 1, Williams 1); UNM 18 (Hargrove 5, Padilla 4, Hooks 3, Abdurraqib 3, Magalhães 2, Foster 1). Steals—NAU 6 (Taylor 3, Watts 1, White 1, Blithikioti 1); UNM 14 (Magalhães 6, Padilla 3, Hargrove 2, Jordan 1, Abdurraqib 1). Blocks—NAU 3 (Watts 2, White 1); UNM 3 (Craig 1, Padilla 1, Hargrove 1). Turnovers—NAU 17, UNM 15. Team fouls—NAU 17; UNM 21. Fouled out—UNM, Jordan. Technical fouls—None.