UNM is Built to be a Championship Contender

Freshman guard Tyler Jones and sophomore guard Joana Magalhães dribble the basketball at half court at the Davalos Basketball Center with Director of Player Operations Isaiah Fernandez during a summer workout session. Photograph courtesy of UNM Women’s Basketball’s X Page

Come November, one Lobo basketball team will take The Pit floor with a core group of returning players and championship expectations. 

It’s not the team with a head coach that is in year one, but the team whose program leader is about to begin year ten.

“This year’s team, if we can stay, health has a lot of potential,” said Mike Bradbury when describing UNM Women’s Basketball on Episode 17 of the Lobo Pod earlier this month.

UNM returns three significant contributors from last year.

Junior guard Destinee Hooks was named All-Mountain West Conference Honorable Mention last season. She averaged15 points and 4 rebounds per game while shooting 45% from the field.

Graduate Senior Alyssa Hargrove led the team in assists, averaging five per game, and was also third on the team in 3-point field goal percentage at 38%. Hargrove also averaged 2.2 steals per game and finished fourth overall in the Mountain West Conference.

Sophomore guard Joana Magalhães averaged 9.8 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game in conference play en route to being named to the All-Mountain West Freshman team.

Alyssa Hargrove attempts a layup in UNM’s 73-65 win over Utah State on Feb. 22 in The Pit. Hargrove averaged 8.3 points per game and finished second overall in the Mountain West Conference in assists. Photo courtesy of UNM Women’s Basketball’s X Page @ UNMLoboWBB.

UNM has also added three transfers: Cacia Antonio (Junior), Emma Najjuma (RS-So.), and Jessie Joaquim (Jr.), all of whom are expected to make an immediate impact.

“Cacia brings a lot of playmaking. She’s a smart player. She’s fast, she’s athletic, she can defend and she can block shots,” said Hargrove when she joined The Pit Press Live! on Tuesday.

Antonio adds size to UNM’s backcourt and is listed at 5-foot-11. She averaged 14 points, 6.4 rebounds, and two steals per game last season for New Mexico Junior College and was named a NJCAA Second Team All-American.

Perhaps the most exciting addition to this year’s team will be senior post Clarissa Craig. Craig transferred to UNM from Cincinnati last season, but suffered a shoulder injury in the Fall and had to undergo season-ending surgery.

“(Craig is) going to seal up and demand for the ball,” Hargrove said. “She can play both sides of the ball. She’s going to pursue every rebound, whether it’s offensively or defensively.”

Clarissa Craig shoots a hook shot during summer workouts for UNM Women’s Basketball. Craig is listed at 6-foot-3 and averaged 4.5 points per game her junior season at Cincinnati in 2023-24. Photo courtesy of UNM Women’s Basketball’s Instagram page @unmlobowbb

UNM has also added a talented freshman class.

Kaia Foster, a 6’2 guard from Pasco, Wash. averaged 13 points and ten rebounds per game at Chiawana High School and was named the Mid-Columbia Conference Player of the Year.

Tyler Jones, a combo guard from Memphis, Tenn., received All-State honors at Hutchison High School.

“Tyler brings a new level of speed and intensity to our team,” Bradbury said. “She’s incredibly quick off the dribble and has a natural ability to attack the rim.”

Leonor Peixinho and Laila Abdurrraquib also signed with UNM as freshmen for the upcoming year.

Playing Scrappy  

Bradbury said the 2025-26 team has the pieces to be competitive on the defensive side of the ball.

“Our size and our athleticism can allow us to be an elite defensive team,” Bradbury said.

Hargrove led the team in steals last season, while Magalhães recorded a steal in 22 of UNM’s 32 games. Antonio averaged two steals per game last year at NMJC. UNM also has depth at the post position with Craig, Joaquim, and Najjuma all listed over 6’2.

“On both ends of the court, we will be scrappy fighting for the ball,” Hargrove said. “We’re very aggressive in the way we’re playing.”

Getting Over The Hump

Bradbury’s career record at UNM is 180-103.

Five times during his tenure, UNM Women’s Basketball has eclipsed the 20-win mark, most recently in 2023-24. But in the last three seasons, UNM has lost in the opening round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament to San Diego State.

“I didn’t feel the best about how last season ended,” Hargrove said. “I don’t think any of us did. With six of us returning from last year’s team, I think we took a lot of valuable lessons from that experience.”

Parts of UNM’s schedule for next season have been announced. UNM will host two Power 4 schools, Houston and Texas Tech, and will travel on the road to play Colorado and Arizona.

“I think our fans will see, one how much better this team is and how much more exciting this team can be,” said Bradbury.