The University of New Mexico Lobo men’s basketball team was back at The Pit after an impressive showing in round one of the National Invitation Tournament against the Sam Houston Bearkats, and looked to build on that performance in round 2 at home versus the George Washington University Revolutionaries.
It was a tight game in the beginning, but the Lobos would go on a 13-6 run to lead 20-12 early. The Revolutionaries scored 5 unanswered points, cutting the deficit to 3 points before dunks by Lobo forward Antonio Chol, and guard Uriah Tenette.
Head Coach Eric Olen praised Tenette’s ability to orchestrate the offense and team.
“His playmaking showing up I think is a real sign of his comfort level, I just thought he was in total control,” Olen said.
Tenette finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.
George Washington University would manage to close out the first half on a 6-0 run, though UNM led 36-32 going into the locker room.
The Lobos started the second half howling, with a 13-2 run including two 3-pointers from guard Jake Hall. The Revolutionaries tried to answer UNM’s lead, going on a 5-1 run before ultimately being overwhelmed by the onslaught; the Lobos coasted to a 86-61 victory.
Hall led the team in scoring with 19 points, grabbing 3 rebounds and recording 2 steals.
Head Coach Eric Olen was pleased with his team’s performance despite the team missing guard Deyton Albury, and Chol, who played through a facial fracture.
“I thought we played well, we mostly took care of it. We felt like the shot quality was pretty good in the first half. We believe in these guys’ shooting the basketball,” Olen said. Freshman guard Timeo Pons logged his highest playing time since the Lobos faced New Mexico Highlands University in December, playing for 12 minutes and achieving 5 points and 3 rebounds.
“I thought, like, the thing that he did so well is when he came in the game, he played really hard and you could feel it, ” Olen said. “He brought energy. He brought some fire and urgency to it and just played hard, and even in the first half where he didn't score, you know, he made some plays, defensively. (I) thought he played the right way, good decision making, loved his shot selection. He got on the offensive glass, he got block. And just his activity was terrific.”
The Lobos will continue to play on in the NIT, hosting the Saint Joseph’s University Hawks in the Quarterfinals at The Pit on Tuesday, March 24.
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Alex Joe is a freelance videographer for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @DailyLobo
