The UNM men’s basketball team began both its preseason games with two mistakes, but has still come away with dominating wins.
The Lobos beat Western New Mexico on Saturday 99-68 in front of 13,473 fans.
The Mustangs kept the Lobos’ lead under double digits for the first 12 minutes of the game, until sophomore guard Tony Snell’s 3-pointer with 7:48 left in the first half made it 32-20.
Snell led the team in scoring again, with 20 points alongside senior forward Drew Gordon.
The size advantage helped the Lobos out-score WNMU 42-24 in the paint.
In the first half, Gordon was trapped on the baseline by two defenders. He split the defense and powered to the rim, dunking on a Mustang player and fouled in the process.
Gordon also had an alley-oop reverse dunk early in the second half that made the crowd go into a frenzy.
“(Gordon has) just had his best week of the year,” UNM head coach Steve Alford said. “Hopefully, we can get him some rest now.”
Cameron Bairstow, sophomore forward, had another solid night, going 1-1 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. He finished with eight points, six rebounds, two blocks and two assists.
“Our bigs are going to get fouled a lot,” Alford said. “It’s important that our bigs make foul shots, and right now they’re doing that.”
Despite the size difference, WNMU had 18 offensive rebounds and was only out-rebounded by the Lobos, 40-35.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of 3s in the game; nearly 60 3s were taken in the game,” Alford said. “So you’re going to have a lot of long rebounds.”
The game marked senior guard Phillip McDonald’s season debut, and fans cheered when he checked into the game. McDonald swished a 3-pointer on his first touch of the ball. He finished with 11 points in 19 minutes.
Free throw shooting is an element that the Lobos have improved on during the preseason.
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In the two exhibition games, UNM shot 84.6 percent from the line, including 27-of-30 on Saturday.
Kendall Williams, sophomore guard, led the team at the line, going 9-for-10. He finished with 17 points.
“You can never go wrong with free throws,” Williams said. “It’s the easiest way to score.”
The Lobos finished with five players in double figures, something Williams said he likes to see.
“We have a lot of scorers, so it’s good to see everyone being aggressive,” he said.
Snell was among the players in double figures on Saturday. Last season he was known for his outside shooting, but this season he has added elements to his game.
“Through 18 practices and two games, he’s done a really good job of not just shooting the 3,” Alford said. “He’s rebounding, he’s driving the ball and he’s got a chance to be really, really special.”
Williams said he likes being on the court with Snell.
“He really is my favorite player on the team,” Williams said. “He knows how to score and is the most unselfish player I’ve played with.”
