From the hardwood to the cross country course and from the volleyball court to the gridiron, the University of New Mexico delivered one of its most complete and wide-ranging weeks of the year. The women’s basketball team extended its hot start, football earned a landmark road win at Air Force, volleyball closed its season with gritty performances, men’s basketball split a pair of dramatic games in Kansas City, and cross country achieved unprecedented national success highlighted by an NCAA individual champion. Across every program, the Lobos made noise on the national stage.
Women’s Basketball: Lobos Roll to Fourth Straight Win Before Falling to Texas Tech
UNM 77, UT Martin 45 — Complete Control from Wire to Wire
New Mexico opened the week with its most dominant performance of the season, scoring the first six points and never trailing in a 77–45 dismantling of UT Martin. The win extended UNM’s streak to four and continued a stretch in which the Lobos have overwhelmed opponents by a +26.3 scoring margin.
Destinee Hooks once again set the tone with 15 points, her sixth straight double-figure outing, while Alyssa Hargrove, Cacia Antonio, and Laila Abdurraqib each added 11. Abdurraqib delivered her best game of the season, spearheading a bench unit that outscored the Skyhawks 25–11.
UNM controlled every phase of the game:
- Rebounding edge: +35 (56–21), including 20 offensive rebounds — the program’s first 20-O-board night since 2021
- Second-chance points: 21–2
- Fast-break points: 20–3
- Turnover points: 20–12
A 16–0 run spanning the second and third quarters broke the game open, and Hooks’ nine points in the third helped New Mexico cruise to a 60–34 lead entering the fourth. The Lobos never let the margin dip below 30 the rest of the way, improving to 5–1.
Texas Tech 82, UNM 57 — Hooks Shines Again, but Lady Raiders Pull Away
Two days later, UNM couldn’t slow down Texas Tech’s firepower in an 82–57 loss despite another standout effort from Hooks, who poured in a season-best 24 points on 10 field goals — her third 20-plus outing of the year and second straight against TTU.
Antonio added 10 points, while Nayli Padilla contributed five rebounds and two steals off the bench. UNM hung tough early, trading leads four times in the opening quarter. Hooks’ late first-half burst — including a pair of threes — kept the Lobos within 10 at halftime.
But Texas Tech took control after the break, stretching the lead to 19 by the end of the third. Hooks scored eight of UNM’s 12 third-quarter points, and the Lobos briefly cut the deficit to 18 early in the fourth before TTU’s final run put the game out of reach.
New Mexico sits at 5–2 as it travels to the Florida Gulf Coast Challenge to face Chicago State and Cincinnati.
Football: Lobos End 25-Year Skid at Falcon Stadium With Defensive Masterpiece
The most emphatic Lobo win of the week came in Colorado Springs, where New Mexico stunned Air Force 20–3 to snap a 25-year drought at Falcon Stadium.
UNM’s defense delivered a historic performance, holding the nation’s signature rushing powerhouse to:
- 110 rushing yards — lowest ever allowed by UNM in the series
- 161 total yards — also the fewest in series history
- Just 3 points — Air Force’s lowest scoring output ever against UNM
Quarterback Jack Layne opened the scoring with a scrambling 12-yard touchdown, and Damon Bankston powered in another after an 82-yard, 15-play march that drained more than eight minutes off the clock. A strip-sack by Brett Karhu set up a field goal that pushed the lead to 17–0 at the half.
Air Force didn’t find the scoreboard until early in the fourth quarter, and Jon Johnson’s interception sealed the victory moments later. With only seven offensive possessions all night, the Lobos maximized every opportunity — and suffocated the Falcons from start to finish.
Volleyball: Late Pushes Not Enough as Season Closes at Colorado State
Wyoming 3, UNM 2 — Lobos Battle in Five-Set Heartbreaker
New Mexico opened the week with one of its most competitive battles of the season, pushing Wyoming to five sets before falling 3–2. Freshman Reagan Miller stood out with one of her best all-around efforts — 13 kills on .478 hitting and five blocks — while Lauryn Payne hammered 17 kills and four blocks.
Setter Madeleine Miller was outstanding, recording 45 assists, 18 digs, and two blocks in a gritty floor-captain performance. Zoe Leonard added nine kills and five blocks, and Camila Canedo anchored the defense with 24 digs.
Despite double-digit blocks for the fourth straight match, UNM couldn’t turn the momentum from its strong second set into a road win.
Colorado State 3, UNM 1 — Rams Pull Away in Season Finale
In the season finale, UNM evened the match with a dominant second set but ultimately fell 3–1 at Colorado State to finish the year 13–16.
Leonard led with a career-best 12 kills, while Payne (11) and France (10) joined her in double figures. France also notched her third double-double. Madeleine Miller capped her season with 43 assists and four blocks, just missing another double-double.
After a strong defensive second set in which the Lobos held CSU to .125 hitting, UNM couldn’t sustain its offense in the final two frames.
Men’s Basketball: Lobos Split in Kansas City, Highlighted by Record-Setting Performance
Nebraska 84, UNM 72 — Furious Rally Not Enough
New Mexico nearly erased a 20-point first-half deficit before falling 84–72 to undefeated Nebraska in the Hall of Fame Classic opener. After trailing 43–25 at halftime, the Lobos exploded with a 13–2 run to cut the deficit to 48–41 and later drew within four.
Jake Hall led with a career-high 20 points, followed by Antonio Chol (12), Tomislav Buljan (11), and Uriah Tenette (10). But the Huskers responded with timely threes and late free throws to preserve the win.
UNM 80, Mississippi State 78 — Buljan’s Record Night Lifts Lobos to Wild Win
Twenty-four hours later, New Mexico delivered one of its most thrilling wins of the early season.
Freshman forward Tomislav Buljan turned in a historic performance, posting 19 points and 21 rebounds — setting a new UNM freshman record and tying for the most rebounds by any Division I player this year. Tenette, making his first start, added 13 points, as did Deyton Albury, who scored the game-winning layup with 29.7 seconds left.
The game featured 14 lead changes, including four in the final three minutes. After Mississippi State briefly went ahead 77–76, Chris Howell intercepted a pass that led to Albury’s decisive fast-break layup. Tenette iced the victory with two free throws.
Buljan Named Mountain West Freshman of the Week
Following his breakout weekend, Buljan earned his first Mountain West Freshman of the Week honor after averaging 15 points and 14 rebounds across the two Hall of Fame Classic games, shooting 64.7 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from deep.
His 21-rebound performance is also the best 10k rebound mark in conference history.
Cross Country: Habtom Samuel Wins NCAA Title as Both Teams Reach Podium
In Columbia, Missouri, UNM capped its fall season with the greatest combined cross country performance in school history.
A National Champion at Last
After back-to-back near misses, Habtom Samuel claimed his first NCAA individual title — and the third in program history — surging away from the field over the final 2K to win in 28:33.9, the fastest 10K time ever recorded in Mountain West history.
Samuel becomes:
- The first New Mexico man to win an NCAA XC title
- The first Mountain West men’s champion since 2006
- A three-time All-American
Historic Team Finishes
Five Lobos earned All-American honors, and both teams finished on the NCAA podium for the first time ever:
- Men: 2nd place (82 points) — best finish and lowest score in program history
- Women: 4th place — matching the program’s highest placement in 2017
Pamela Kosgei finished 17th to lead the women’s squad, while Collins Kiprotich (8th), Evans Kiplagat (13th), and Vincent Chirchir (20th) joined Samuel in the top-20 for the men.
Head Coach Darren Gauson praised the historic showing:
“To finish as the only Division I program to double trophy speaks to what New Mexico cross country is all about… we’re going to keep our foot on the gas and try to come back and win two next season.”
A Landmark Week for the Lobos
From blowout wins and record-setting performances to historic NCAA podiums, the Lobos delivered excellence across every field of competition. With winter sports entering full swing, UNM looks poised to build on one of the most memorable weeks in recent program history.