Lobos look to rebound against league-leading Aztecs

Last week was arguably the best and worst of times for the UNM women's basketball team.

The Lobos followed up a signature road win at Colorado State with a head-scratching dud of a home loss to Nevada. Both were firsts: CSU had not lost at home this season while Nevada had not won on the road.

Go figure.

Rather than spending extended time on analysis, UNM coach Mike Bradbury and his players have turned their focus forward. New Mexico faces a key Mountain West road test Wednesday with a matinee visit to San Diego State. The Aztecs are 12-3 overall, 6-0 in conference play and have won eight straight.

"They're probably as balanced a team as we've seen," Bradbury said. "They're good defensively, all five starters can make 3's and they bring kids off the bench who can really shoot. It's no surprise they're at the top of the league."

SDSU has been particularly good (7-1) at Viejas Arena and has won all three of its MWC home games by double digits, including an 83-54 rout of Boise State. Good fortune also has smiled on the Aztecs, who escaped with a 73-72 win at Utah State on Saturday when the Aggies missed a potential game-winning layup with a second remaining.

Nonetheless, the Lobos know they'll need their A game Wednesday if they hope to knock off the Aztecs.

"We've just got to play with the kind of effort and energy we've had most of the season," Bradbury said. "We didn't do that (against Nevada) and everyone saw what happened. We need to learn from that."

Motivation does not figure to be lacking. Not only do the Aztecs share the MWC lead with UNLV, but they benefit from an unbalanced league schedule that does not send them to the Pit this season.

What's more, San Diego State has been a particular thorn in the Lobos' collective side in recent seasons. SDSU has knocked UNM out of the Mountain West tournament three straight times after the Lobos eliminated the Aztecs in 2021-22.

"It's a super big game," Lobos junior Destinee Hooks said. "I know personally I'm approaching it with a big-game mindset and I'm sure my teammates will also."

Barring a fifth straight conference tournament matchup, Wednesday's game could be the last meeting between the longtime rivals for the foreseeable future. San Diego State will depart for what used to be known as the Pac-12 next season.

Bradbury acknowledged the significance of Wednesday's game but does not see it as a must win.

"We're not even a third of the way through conference yet," he said. "It's too early to be thinking about tiebreakers and things like that. But this is definitely an opportunity to help ourselves and we need to approach it that way."

Perimeter shooting figures to play a key role Wednesday as the Aztecs and Lobos rank first and second in the MWC in 3-point baskets per game, respectively.

But Bradbury pointed to rebounds as perhaps a bigger factor. The Lobos lead the Mountain West in rebound margin (+6.2) but got outworked 42-30 on the boards by Nevada.

"A lot of rebounding comes down to effort," he said, "so yes, rebounding will be extremely important."

INJURY UPDATE: UNM starting post Clarissa Craig underwent a medical procedure last week on her ailing knee and is rehabbing with hopes of returning this season. Craig averaged 6.5 points and 4.3 rebounds over the Lobos first 10 games but has not played since UNM's Dec. 7 win at Arizona. She was not on the bench for Saturday's home game due to her recent procedure.