Jan. 14, 2025, will remain one of the toughest pills to swallow from last year’s Lobo men’s basketball season, which resulted in a Mountain West Regular Season title and Second Round appearance in the NCAA Tournament. That Tuesday in January San Jose almost derailed the Lobos season as the 9-10 San José State University Spartans took down the Lobos.
On Saturday, Jan. 31, Lobo fans were able to belt out a sigh of relief as guard Jake Hall led the Lobos to a 10-point victory over the Spartans while scoring a career-high 27 points, with a 90-80 victory.
The Spartans were unprepared for the freshman from Carlsbad, California, as Hall went on a heater. Forward Tomislav Buljan scored 17 points and had 10 rebounds that gave the Croatian his 11th double-double of the season. Four separate Lobos ended in the double digits; guards Uriah Tenette and Deyton Albury joined Bulijan and Hall in double figures.
Albury started the Lobos on an 8-2 run in the first four minutes of the game with a driving layup which saw the Lobos take the lead and never give it up from there on. UNM had 18 points in the paint alone in the first half of the game, a good portion of those coming from Buljan and Albury combining for 16 points. Hall himself chipped in for 16 points — nearly half of the Lobos’ points in the first half.
The Lobos shot a whopping 48% from the field and 38% from three in the first half alone, but UNM’s usual stellar defense struggled at times to keep the Spartans at bay, shooting 41% and 29%, respectively. UNM was able to hold onto a six-point lead over SJSU, going into halftime with a score of 41-35.
The second half of the game saw the Lobos’ best offensive efforts all season, as UNM shot 61% from the field, 71% from the three and 89% from the free-throw line. Hall and Tenette helped to create much of that offensive motion either from scoring or becoming the focus of attention from the Spartans’ defense, scoring 25 points combined.
Driving the ball to the basket proved to be key for UNM in holding on to the lead against SJSU in the second half with the Lobos scoring 16 points from the free-throw line. The smallest Lobo proved to be a beast in the paint, as Tenette drew four fouls, resulting in him going 6-7 from the line.
For as much as the Spartans couldn’t shut down the Lobos, UNM was unable to stop San Jose guards Jermaine Washington and Colby Garland who combined for 31 points, giving UNM’s defense problems. The Lobos were able to rely on their offense and get critical stops to keep the Spartans at arm’s length, winning by a margin of 10 with a final score of 90-80.
The win allowed the Lobos to tie Utah State and San Diego State for first place, with all three sitting at 9-2 in conference play. With the victory, the Lobos match-up against the Utah State University Aggies on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at The Pit is critical in the race for a Mountain West Championship.
Wyatt S. Padilla is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @wyattspadilla
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