Lobo women eager to tip off regular season against NAU

The regular season did not sneak up on the UNM women’s basketball team this year.

With six key players returning and high expectations for 2025-26, the Lobos have been impatiently champing at the bit to get started.

They’ll get their wish Monday night when Northern Arizona visits the Pit for game No. 1.

“We’re ready to go,” UNM coach Mike Bradbury said Sunday. “We got what we needed out of (two) exhibition games and everyone’s excited for the real thing.”

It’s a significant change from last season, when the Lobos had just one returning starter and more questions than answers for their opener — also against NAU. The Lumberjacks pulled out an 80-78 win in that one, thanks to a buzzer-beater by since-departed standout Sophie Glancey.

The shoe is on the other foot this season, however, as Northern Arizona comes to Albuquerque with a slew of new players, a new coach (Laura Dinkins) and not much information available. Bradbury and his staff have done as much due diligence as possible on NAU’s two returnees and key transfers, but they haven’t spent much time studying last season’s video.

“We’re not really expecting them to play like they did last year,” Bradbury said. “They have talent and I expect they’ll have good guard play, but they have a new coach and a new system. Based on that, I think they’ll probably come out and get after us defensively.”

Dinkins spent the past two seasons as associate head coach with new Mountain West member Grand Canyon, helping the ‘Lopes post a combined 56-11 record during that span. How similar NAU’s style might be to Grand Canyon’s remains to be seen, but the Lobos have been covering their bases in preparation.

Big Sky Conference coaches also seem unsure of what to make of the Lumberjacks, who were picked to finish ninth in the league this season. UNM was picked fifth in the Mountain West’s preseason poll after tying for fourth place in 2024-25. The Lobos say they are using that forecast as motivation.

“I feel we’re going to do a lot better than fifth,” junior Destinee Hooks said. “We’re definitely ready to get started.”

The Lobos certainly appeared ready in their one-sided exhibition wins over Adams State and UT Arlington, with Bradbury able to pull his starters early in both. UTA coach Shereka Wright called the Lobos “a very good veteran team” after UNM’s 79-56 win in Texas last week.

Bradbury said he’s not sure the “veteran” label applies, considering the Lobos have two fifth-year seniors in Alyssa Hargrove and Clarissa Craig along with four juniors, three sophomores and four freshmen.

“We have a couple of veteran players,” he said, “but I’m not sure we’re a veteran team. What we do have is some experience and six returning players who’ve played together, so that helps. We’re a lot further along at this point than we have been the last couple years.”

UNM is also considerably deeper than it’s been in recent seasons and could employ 10 to 11 players on a regular basis, Bradbury said. That will allow the Lobos to be more aggressive defensively with trapping and full-court pressure as parts of their repertoire.

New Mexico’s depth also will be tested by a busy early schedule that includes three games in seven days to open the season.

After facing NAU, the Lobos travel to Colorado on Thursday and host North Carolina A&T on Sunday.