The Lobos missed their first shot Wednesday night and then hit their next 12 on their way to a 99-80 rout of New Mexico State University at The Pit.
During UNM's scorching first half, Troy Devries hit five of his six three-point shot attempts. The Lobos built a staggering 51-23 lead in the first half and never looked back.
Their 58 first-half points were the most UNM has scored in a half since 1997.
Head coach Ritchie McKay summed up the first half performance plainly.
"I was really pleased with our offensive efficiency," he said. "We really had nice execution."
The Lobos were executioners, all right. Devries helped bury the Aggies in the first half, and strong performances by Danny Granger and Mark Walters helped keep the in-state rivals from making any kind of run to close the gap.
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Granger finished with 24 points on 9 for 14 shooting. His full arsenal was on display, as he hit leaners and fadeaways, as well as a three-pointer and a nasty one-handed slam to follow his own missed layup.
Walters had 18 points, and chipped in with a career-high 10 assists.
With their dominating performance in the books, the question remains whether the Lobos can end their road losing streak, which now stands at 29 games. They head down to Las Cruces Saturday for a rematch against NMSU. McKay said he knows the Aggies won't go down quite so easily on their home turf.
"They'll come out very motivated in Las Cruces," he said.
Granger said he had the same thoughts.
"It'll be a battle in Cruces," he said. "They'll have their fans there and their rims."
And while the streak may be all that's on the fans' minds in this early season, the players say they aren't fretting over it.
"I actually feel sorry for you guys," Granger told members of the press.
After UNM ends its road streak, "You won't have anything to write about," he said.
McKay said the Lobos are focused entirely on their performance this season and not reflecting on the past.
Kris Collins had the same reaction to questions about ending the streak.
"I'm only 0-1 on the road, since this is my first year," said Collins, a junior college transfer. "And this team is only 0-1 also."
