Sunday session: Lobo women chasing consistency in game three

Sunday will not be a day of rest for the UNM women's basketball team and the Lobos may as well get used to it.

North Carolina A&T visits the Pit on Sunday, one of four Sunday afternoon games for UNM before the start of Mountain West play in mid-December.

As it turns out, Sunday's game is precisely the kind of challenge Lobos coach Mike Bradbury wants for his team. UNM is coming off an 84-59 loss at Colorado where focus, specifically in the third quarter, became an issue. Bradbury does not want to see a repeat performance.

"We did some good things in the first half and early in the third quarter," he said. "Colorado put a run on us midway through the third and we just lost our discipline and focus. We didn't get it back until the fourth quarter and by then it was too late. We've got to keep our minds in the game."

That might seem like something of a challenge against 0-2 North Carolina A&T, which is coming off a pair of one-sided road losses to Texas Tech and TCU. But a pair of rough games do not figure to bother the Aggies, who started 2-7 last year and rallied to win the Coastal Athletic Conference and advance to the WBIT.

It was the fifth conference title in 14 seasons for NC A&T coach Tarrell Robinson, who has three top players back this season and is expected to be in the CAA title hunt once again.

"They're big, well-coached and very disciplined," Bradbury said of the Aggies. "I've got nothing but good things to say about them."

The Aggies rely on a tall front line anchored by 6-foot-4 preseason All-CAA Chaniya Clark, but they've struggled with perimeter shooting against their first two opponents. Asked about UNM's approach on Sunday, Bradbury went back to focus.

"Our priority for this game is to have the right mental approach and play extremely hard," he said. "It's more about that than x's and o's for this one. We need to be locked in for all 40 minutes."

Bradbury is still tinkering with player rotations, a task which figures to continue for at least a few more games. Sunday's game will be the Lobos' last without junior point guard Cacia Antonio, who was ruled ineligible for UNM's first three games because of her participation on an Angolan club team during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Antonio will play significant minutes when she returns, meaning Sunday's game could amount to an audition for UNM's bench players. Bradbury said his staff will evaluate its rotation after Sunday's game.

Junior Destinee Hooks is off to by far the best start among the Lobos, averaging 17 points per game after a 22-point night at Colorado. Sophomore Nayli Padilla (8.5 ppg) and freshman Laila Abdurraqib (9.0 ppg) also are off to solid starts, but the Lobos' offense lacked cohesiveness in the second half at Colorado. Hooks was the only UNM player to score in double figures, while five players scored 10 points or more for the Buffaloes.

TWO FOR TV: Two non-conference home games were added to UNM's television schedule this week. Altitude Sports will broadcast the Lobos' Nov. 23 game against Texas Tech (1 p.m.) and UNM vs. Houston on Dec. 13 (7 p.m.).

UNM's home Mountain West game against Grand Canyon on Jan. 27 (2:30 p.m.) is set to be broadcast on FS1.

BRING THE KIDS: Sunday's game will be "Kids' Day" with fans ages 12 and under admitted free.