Lobo women: Lady Raiders romp

UNM’s Destinee Hooks attempt to get past Texas Tech defenders Gemma Nuñez (2) and Bailey Maupin (20) during Sunday’s game at the Pit.

Texas Tech guard Gemma Nuñez tries to steal the ball from UNM guard Alyssa Hargrove during Sunday’s game at the Pit.

Ken Sickenger Ken Sickenger Ken Sickenger For the Journal

Published November 23, 2025 - 4:41 p.m. Modified November 24, 2025 - 10:00 a.m.

Friday

UNM vs. Chicago State, Naples, Fla., 9 a.m., 610 AM/95.9 FM

UNM’s offense showed up late for Sunday’s women’s basketball party at the Pit. By the time it arrived, the party was over.

Visiting Texas Tech used a balanced attack with four players scoring in double figures and steadily pulled away in the second half of an 82-57 win over the cold-shooting Lobos. UNM shot just 32% from the field, while the Lady Raiders hit 52% and improved to 7-0 on the season.

New Mexico’s offense was largely a one-women show as Destinee Hooks scored a game-high 24 points. She didn’t get nearly enough help from her friends, however, as the rest of the Lobos were a frigid 10-for-44 from the field.

UNM managed to stay in it for a while despite its poor shooting, trailing by 10 points at halftime and 44-33 early in the third quarter.

But that’s when Texas Tech began to heat up, draining open 3s and hitting back-door cutters when the Lobos’ defense became too spread out. UNM’s struggling shooters couldn’t answer, and the Lady Raiders were up by 19 and cruising by the end of three quarters.

UNM coach Mike Bradbury acknowledged his team’s offensive struggles, but credited many of them to Tech’s defense.

“They sped us up and we took a lot of rushed shots,” he said. “I thought we did a great job against the press and attacked it, but we frequently didn’t end up getting the shots we wanted. And, we obviously didn’t shoot well.”

Jalynn Bristow and Snudda Collins scored 16 points apiece to lead Texas Tech. Cacia Antonio scored 10 for the Lobos, but found her preferred driving lanes crowded with defenders. UNM simply could not hit enough of its open perimeter shots (7-for-31 from 3-point range) to pull Raiders defenders out of the paint.

The teams traded points for most of the first quarter before a string of UNM turnovers allowed the Raiders to take a 17-12 lead. Fouls became a major issue for the Lobos in the second quarter as three starters retreated to the bench with two fouls apiece and Texas Tech cashed in on a parade to the free-throw line.

The Raiders’ 39-29 lead at intermission was primarily about foul shooting. Texas Tech was 15-for-20 from the line, while UNM was just 5-for-8.

“Fouls were definitely a problem,” Bradbury said. “We had some key people in foul trouble and (the Raiders) made us pay from the foul line.”

Texas Tech found its shooting stroke in the third quarter, but the Lobos continued to struggle. Hooks scored eight of UNM’s 12 points in the third, while the Lobos’ other shooters remained ice cold.

Guards Antonio, Alyssa Hargrove, Joana Magalhães and Nayli Padilla were a combined 7-for-32 from the floor, 2-of-16 from 3-point range.

Bradbury was disappointed with Sunday’s outcome but said his team will benefit from it.

“We lost at Colorado and learned a lot from it,” he said, “we have to do the same thing this time. We have to fight for the shots we want and we have to do a better job in our defensive rotations. When you play teams like these, every weakness gets exploited. But that’s why we scheduled these games. We’ll learn more from this than we would from an easy win.”

The Lobos will have a few days to learn and lick their wounds before traveling to the Florida Gulf Classic Challenge where they’ll face Chicago State and Cincinnati on Friday and Saturday, respectively.