After last week’s turkey trot race in The Pit, the University of New Mexico Lobos men’s basketball team found itself in a more comfortable game against their northern New Mexican cousin, the New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys.
The Lobos would take care of business and walk out having more than doubled NMHU’s total scoring, winning 97-47 on Monday, Dec. 1.
Starting forward for the Lobos, Tomislav Buljan was available, but did not play out of precaution due to a lower-body injury he sustained at the end of the game against Alabama State. A familiar face for fans accompanied the Highlands squad, as former Lobo forward Ibrahima Sacko would start for NMHU.
Once again, the Lobos were able to handle Highlands with ease, as UNM's offense was able to take advantage of the Cowboys' less-than-stellar defense. Regardless of whether it was man-to-man, press, or zone, the Cowboys could rarely stop the Lobos. Though the Lobos would have a great night on the offensive end of the floor, they were able to hang their hat on their defensive effort, making the Cowboys uncomfortable on all fronts. UNM sped the Cowboys up, turned them over and distorted their offensive possessions, making it a difficult night for the boys in purple.
Freshman guard Jake Hall would get the Lobos started with two free throws, accompanied by a three-pointer to get the crowd going and the Lobos on the board. Hall scored 15 points in less than 12 minutes on the court, leading the Lobos into halftime. The Lobos would shoot 35.1% from the field in the first half of the game, 33.3% from three and go nine for 11 from the charity stripe.
The Lobos starters would get a bit of a break as minutes were handed out generously, with 11 Lobos getting a chance to make an impact on the game. Kevin Patton Jr would lead the Lobos bench performance in the first half, scoring 6 points for the Cherry and Silver.
Defense led the Lobos into their 23-point lead at the half, holding Highlands to only 21 points, as the Cowboys struggled to get any sort of consistent ball movement. The Lobos turned the Cowboys over a total of eight times, resulting in 16 Lobo points. Dominant effort from the Lobos was also shown on the boards — UNM out-rebounded Highlands 29-15, 11 being offensive rebounds, which gave the Lobos 11 points off second chances. The Lobos would lead the Cowboys at the half by a healthy margin of 44-21.
The second half of the contest would stay similar to the first, as the Division II visitors were just no match for their in-state opponent. Hall would wind up being the Lobos’ leading scorer with 21 points, shooting 67% from the field, going five of eight from three, and four of four from the free-throw line.
The Lobos bench would capitalize on the opportunities that arose, as 46 points came from the bench alone, with JT Rock, Tajavis Miller and Timéo Pons all scoring double figures off the bench. Much of this came from the Lobos sharing the ball at a high rate, with 26 assists on 29 field goals made and scoring an average of 1.35 points per possession.
UNM would have a stellar shooting night, both from the field and three-point range, shooting 43% and 38% respectively. The Lobos would go 19 of 50 from three-point range, the second most three-pointers made in a game in program history and the most three-pointers attempted by a Lobo team.
Highlands would once again be held under 30 points in the second half, scoring 26 points. The Lobos would ultimately turn the Cowboys over 19 times total, leading to 35 points off turnovers, and 23 fast break points. UNM would hold Highlands’ shooting percentages to 30% and 16% from three-point range, but Highlands was able to get the edge on UNM in the paint, scoring 24 paint points to the Lobos’ 18.
The Lobos will look ahead to playing one of their biggest non-conference home games of the season, the Santa Clara Broncos, at The Pit on Saturday, Dec. 6.
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Head Coach Eric Olen employed Lobo football Head Coach Jason Eck’s strategy of asking fans for their help.
“It’s a big game for us, I know we have a White-out in The Pit on Saturday, we need everyone here, we need the full throat version of The Pit, because it’s a great basketball team, it’s a huge opportunity for us,” Olen said.
Wyatt S. Padilla is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @wyattspadilla
