After missing out on March Madness, the Lobo men’s basketball team has shifted their focus to the National Invitation Tournament, looking to end their season on a better note. To kick off the action, the University of New Mexico hosted the Sam Houston State University Bearkats in the first round at The Pit on Wednesday, March 18. By the end, the Bearkats most likely were wishing their invitation got lost in the mail, as the Lobos dismantled Sam Houston 107-83.
The game started off fast and furious. The Lobos came out with a purpose, scoring 16 points to take an early nine-point lead less than 4 minutes into the first half, though the Bearkats did not go away; they went on a 12-4 run to cut the deficit down to 8 points.
The Lobos managed to close out the first half on a 7-2 run to lead 51-39 going into intermission. Lobo forward Tomislav Buljan led the way for the Lobos with a big first half, scoring 14 points and grabbing 6 rebounds.
The Lobos maintained their dominance in the second half, starting out on a 13-6 run, creating a 19 point lead. The team would lead by as many as 32 points in the second half, following a pair of 3-pointers from forward Antonio Chol.
A very dominant, balanced and disciplined performance by the Lobos led to their victory. UNM won the turnover margin, as Sam Houston had 14 turnovers to New Mexico’s 5. This led to fast break points for the Lobos, who capitalized off enough turnovers for 22 points compared to the Bearkats’ 6 points.
Lobo Head Coach Eric Olen was pleased with the team’s performance, along with the opportunity for his team to continue on in postseason basketball.
“I thought our guys had a really mature approach to this, and came ready to go,” Olen said. “That's what we'll need to do if we want to continue playing, so we're excited to keep playing basketball, and looking forward to Sunday.”
Despite missing out on the NCAA tournament, Lobo center JT Rock said the team is still cherishing the moment and the chance to play postseason basketball.
“It was a great opportunity to get another chance to play here at the Pit,” Rock said. “We didn't quite get the job done on senior night a couple weeks ago, so we knew we had to come back and get that one back.”
Both Rock and guard Uriah Tenette had career high nights–Rock with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks, and Tenette chipping in 20 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.
“My teammates were able to find me tonight, and then I was able to put the ball in the basket,” Tennette said.
After their first round performance, the Lobos earned another home game at The Pit. They will host the George Washington Revolutionaries in round two of the NIT on Sunday, March 22.
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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
