Here's what the Lobo women are looking to shore up after their first exhibition game

Reviews for exhibition game one were better than Mike Bradbury expected.

Game two? Even Bradbury doesn’t know quite what to expect.

The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team is halfway through its exhibition schedule and less than two weeks removed from its regular-season opener. The Lobos had their moments in Sunday’s 93-67 exhibition win over New Mexico Highlands and will look to create more of them when they host Western Colorado for a final tune up on Saturday.

Bradbury, UNM’s ninth-year coach, couldn’t help seeing all the missteps his team made against NMHU, particularly on the defensive end where the Lobos gave up far too many open looks.

“(The Cowgirls) shot it really well when they were unguarded,” he said after the game.

But after breaking down game video, Bradbury’s assessment was a bit more upbeat.

“The film was better than I thought it would be,” he said Tuesday. “We were not bad offensively. Defensively, we have a lot of work to do, but a lot of our mistakes are correctable. We’d have one player in the wrong spot, or they had trouble hearing each other over the crowd, things like that. I’m not saying the film was really good, but it was better than I thought.”

The Lobos spent a few minutes watching video prior to Tuesday’s practice at the Davalos Center, and there were highlights including 10 made 3-pointers and 38 combined points from newcomer Destinee Hooks (20) and returning senior Viané Cumber. But numerous breakdowns also were evident, making defensive drills a primary focus of Tuesday’s practice.

Sophomore Paris Lauro nodded when asked about the challenge of getting a team with nine new players on the same page defensively.

“Yeah, we’re still adjusting to new personnel,” she said, “but it’s different for your first exhibition game. We didn’t have a great scout, didn’t really know what (the Cowgirls) were going to do. Once everyone got comfortable, I thought we did what we needed to do.”

GETTING THE POINT: Fans may see some rotation adjustments when UNM tips off against Western Colorado on Saturday. Bradbury once again plans to use all 13 players, but the combinations may be different.

Notably, the Lobos are still determining what their point guard rotation will look like when the regular-season starts. Sophomore Lara Langermann started at the point Sunday, but several other players got minutes at the position, including senior Alyssa Hargrove and freshmen Reza Po and Joana Magalhaes.

UNM’s point guard competition has been ongoing since practice began in late September.

Aniyah Augmon and Nyah Wilson were UNM’s primary ball-handlers last season, but neither is on the roster in 2024-25.

Filling the point guard role in their absence has proven challenging.

“That’s been a big topic, something we talk about every day,” Bradbury said. “We’re not unhappy with Lara at point guard, not at all. We’re just trying to figure out what combination fits us best. If we can’t settle on one, we’ll do it by committee.”

GOOD CHEMISTRY: Bradbury credited Langermann and senior Viané Cumber for taking leadership roles on a squad with just four returnees. Cumber is the lone fourth-year Lobo on this season’s roster.

“V (Cumber) has been through it all,” Bradbury said. “She’s very level-headed and has a good handle on the leadership situation.”

Senior and third-year Lobo Hulda Joaquim said she’s been surprised by how quickly this year’s squad has come together.

“The energy’s been great from the very first week of practice,” Joaquim said. “Things are very, very competitive, but I really enjoy this group. I’m excited about this season, excited to see what we can do.”