Men's Basketball: Lobos hit 100 vs Charleston

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Through the first half, New Mexico remained on pace to limit Charleston Southern to 65 points, coach Craig Neal’s target goal defensively.

Surrendering 57 points in the second half didn’t get that job done. Neal called it embarrassing that the No. 22 Lobos allowed so many points over a 20-minute span.

“We’ve got to guard,” Neal said. “We’ve got a lot to do defensively — I just can’t believe we gave up 57 points in a half. That’s the hardest thing. We’ve got to get back to work because we’re not going to win games allowing people to score that easily.”

Even with the second-half defensive struggle, UNM captured a 109-93 victory over Charleston Southern on Sunday for its second victory under Neal. UNM last broke the 100-point mark in 2011, a 102-62 win over Cal State Bakersfield. This was the Lobos’ highest-scoring nonovertime total since dropping 112 against Holy Cross in 1997.

Senior forward Cameron Bairstow improved his career high by scoring 29 points. He matched his previous career best one minute into the second half, and had a career-best 11 free throws.

Senior guard Kendall Williams and junior center Alex Kirk each posted double-doubles while scoring at least 20 points. Williams netted 20 points, primarily on foul shots, to go along with 10 assists. From the line, Williams sank 13 straight free throws before missing his final one, and he surpassed the 1,300-point mark.

Kirk, meanwhile, recorded 24 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman guard Cullen Neal added 11 points, and sophomore guard Cleveland “Pancake” Thomas had 10.

But the offense wasn’t the issue. The Lobos led by 31 points at the seven-minute mark of the second half, their largest margin, but UNM and Charleston Southern exchanged points for the remainder of the half. In one stretch, both squads swapped six 3-pointers.

UNM had a particularly hard time in the second half stopping Saah Nimley, Charleston’s 5-foot-8 guard. His 24 points primarily came on the foul line, draining 15 of his 17 attempts. He had only one first-half field goal and four for the game.

The last time UNM won despite giving up 90 points came in 2008, a double-overtime win against Wyoming.

“It’s something to move on from,” Williams said. “They hit a lot of tough shots. No excuses. You’re at home. Ninety-three points — there is no excuse. It’s still a good win.”