Lobos looking to take down vaunted Lady Rebels

Time to take another shot at the nemesis.

The University of New Mexico women's basketball team will visit UNLV on Saturday with hopes of bucking a frustrating Mountain West Conference trend. The Lady Rebels have given the Lobos more trouble than any other conference opponent, and UNM would like nothing better than to enter its holiday break with something of a statement road win.

New Mexico is 28-44 overall against the Rebels and has dropped four its last five against UNLV. To be fair, no Mountain West team has had much success against UNLV of late. The Rebels are four-time defending conference champs and were picked to finish first again this season.

Can UNM beat the odds and pull off a win in Las Vegas? The numbers seem a bit more favorable than they have in recent seasons.

The Lobos (9-3, 1-0 Mountain West) are riding a three-game winning streak that includes victories over Big 12 foes Arizona and Houston, and Wednesday's 70-63 conference-opening win over Boise State in the Pit.

UNLV (6-5, 1-0) also won its MWC opener, 61-60 at Grand Canyon, but the 2025-26 Rebels thus far have not been as dominant as in recent seasons. Forgive the Lobos if they're not about to take anything for granted.

"UNLV is a really good team this year," senior Alyssa Hargrove said. "Fortunately, we've been playing good opponents and preparing for games like this. It's obviously going to be a challenge but I think it'll be fun."

The Rebels have some familiar and talented returnees this season in Aaliyah Alexander, Meadow Roland and Jasmyn Lott, but coach Lindy La Rocque's squad also has nine newcomers, six of them transfers. UNM coach Mike Bradbury says he has not seen a significant change in the way the Rebels play.

"Athletic and talented as usual," Bradbury said. "They play fast, mix it up between (man-to-man) and zone and press a little bit. They look good to me."

The most notable difference between Saturday's matchup and recent UNM-UNLV games figures to be the Lobos' approach. Rather than trying to slow the Rebels down, UNM hopes to outrun them.

"The big thing for us is we have to match their physicality," Bradbury said. "But we have more athleticism and depth this year. We're going to play fast, pressure them and try to create some turnovers."

UNM had success amping up its defensive pressure against Boise State, racking up 12 steals and scoring 19 points directly off turnovers. The Lobos also had a 17-4 advantage in fast-break points.

DANCING DAYS: The Lobos were in a mood to celebrate after Wednesday's come-from-behind win over Boise State. Some players opted to express themselves by borrowing pom poms and joining UNM's spirit teams for a brief postgame performance.

"The spirit team is always so supportive," Hargrove said. "We agreed to join them if we won this game. It was great."

Sophomore Joana Magalhaes grinned when asked about the performance.

"Well, I always wanted to be a dancer," she said, "but I chose basketball instead. I hope we get a chance to do it again. That was fun."

MAGIC NUMBERS: The Lobos, who average 71.8 points per game, are 8-0 when scoring 70 or more this season. Junior Destinee Hooks has been UNM's most consistent scorer, reaching double figures in all 12 games, but Hargrove also rates as a key contributor. The Lobos are 6-0 when Hargrove scores 10 points or more.