sports@dailylobo.com
Junior center Alex Kirk scored 26 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, to lead the New Mexico men’s basketball team to a 78-66 victory over the Kilsyth Cobras in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, according to a release.
The Lobos have two wins in their three-game international exhibition tour, which wraps up Sunday against the Queensland All-Stars in Brisbane, Australia. Tipoff is 5 p.m. local time, or 1 a.m. Mountain Time.
The release stated New Mexico’s Thursday opponent in Kilsyth had players from both the Cobras and all-stars from the South East Australia Basketball League.
After leading 33-20 in the second quarter, UNM trailed Kilsyth 58-57 heading in the fourth quarter. The Lobos took control after starting the fourth quarter with a 13-3 run, outscoring the Cobras 21-8 in the final stanza.
“We got off to a fairly slow start, surged in the middle of the first half and got a lead, then hit a little bit of a lull,” UNM coach Craig Neal said in the release. “We got away from things, but the guys stuck together and played better in the second half. We guarded who we needed to guard and came out victorious.”
Kirk drained 11 of his 16 shot attempts from the field in the win. Senior guard Kendall Williams netted 16 points, while junior guard Hugh Greenwood had 13 points, eight rebounds and five steals and sophomore Cleveland Thomas added 11.
As a team, UNM shot 45.8 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from the 3-point line and 65.2 percent from the free-throw line.
