Despite digging themselves into a 22-point hole, the Lobo men’s basketball team managed to claw its way back bucket-by-bucket to come away with a win against the California State University, Fresno Bulldogs, 80-78, keeping their NCAA tournament hopes alive.
The University of New Mexico completed its largest comeback in program history during the Saturday, Feb. 21, game in Fresno, Calif.
To ice the game for the Lobos, guard Jake Hall hit a midrange stepback jumpshot late, a shot nearly identical to his game-winner against Grand Canyon University the previous week.
Hall finished out the night with 20 points and 4 rebounds — his ninth 20-point game of the season.
Guard Deyton Albury had the most impactful performance for the Lobos as he spurred the comeback that started with around five minutes left in the first half and continued till the final buzzer.
Albury finished with a season high 21 points — most coming from aggressive contact-laden drives to the basket — on an effective 70% from the field.
Just as influential as Albury’s scoring was his rebounding, leading the Lobos with 8, also grabbing 2 steals, both of which led to points for UNM.
The Lobos found themselves in a deficit early due to a mix of poor shooting and defense. UNM shot 39% from the field in the first half, while the Bulldogs made 62% of their shots. Despite the first half woes, the Lobos managed to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 12 points at the half, 44-32.
In the second half, the Lobos managed to correct their poor shooting, making 66% of their attempts. For the Bulldogs, the second half was not as clean, as their shooting percentage dropped heavily, going 44% from the field and 9% on three-point attempts.
One of the biggest downfalls for the Bulldogs was their free throw shooting, going only 5/9 and 56%, even with their home fans cheering them on.
Lobo forward Tomislav Buljan’s defense helped keep the Bulldogs out of the paint in the second half, an area that was effective for Fresno in the first half.
Buljan’s offense, however, was stifled as he went 2/9 from the field and scored 6 points — his average points per game this season is 11.9.
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Even with this win, the Lobos have their work cut out for them if they hope to make the NCAA tournament. The Lobos are currently in the last four in projected to make the tournament, after avoiding a loss to Fresno, which would have likely pushed them out of the tournament, according to CBS Sports.
The Lobos continue their road trip on Tuesday, Feb. 24, against the University of Nevada, Reno Wolfpack, a team that put up a fight in their previous meeting in The Pit, with the Lobos eventually winning 80-73.
The Lobos will then head home to take on the San Diego State University Aztecs in front of a sold-out crowd in The Pit on Saturday, Feb. 28.
Jaden McKelvey-Francis is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on X @jadenmckelvey
