FULLERTON, Calif. – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team capitalized on four players scoring in double-digits to defeat CSUN Friday afternoon, 105-89 on the second day of the Wooden Legacy Classic. The Lobos improve to 4-1 on the season.
Senior Tim Williams and Junior Elijah Brown each finished with 21 points. Williams led the Lobos with six rebounds and was 7-for-12 from the field and perfect, 7-for-7, from the foul line. Brown finished the game 7-for-11 from the field, 3-for-5 from the three and 4-for-6 from the foul line. Brown also finished with seven assists. Brown’s 21 points was a season-high for him.
Sam Logwood and Obij Aget were the other Lobo players that finished in double-figures. Logwood finished with 13 points and Aget finished with a career-high 16 points. Logwood was 5-for-6 from the field and 3-for-4 from the foul line while Aget was perfect from the field, 6-for-6 and 4-for-5 from the foul line.
The Lobos shot 64.9 percent (37-57) for the game, which was a Wooden Legacy Classic record for shooting percentage in a single game. They shot 69 percent in the first half and 60.7 percent in the second half.
The game started out hot for the Lobos as they were shooting 83 percentthrough the first media timeout, taking a 14-10 lead over the Matadors. Sophomore Jordan Hunter pushed that lead to 17-10 and the Lobos went up 20-10 after a three from Brown.
The Matadors began to work their way back into the game cutting the lead to two with 9:33 left in the half. The Lobos pushed their lead back up to six at the 8:02 mark after a layup from Damien Jefferson. The Matadors worked their way back in again but the Lobos went up by as much as 14 with 1:25 left in the half. Hunter finished off the half with two free throws, giving the Lobos a 54-45 lead.
The second half was much the same as the first as the Lobos took a bigger lead. CSUN was right there to climb its way back in though. The Lobos went up by 11 after a Williams two with 13:58 left to play. The Matadors cut the lead down to two on a couple of occasions, including at the 7:50 mark. But the Lobos really took the game in the final two minutes, finishing the game on a 12-5 run. Logwood put the final two points of the game in on a monster dunk with 13 seconds left.
The Lobos took advantage of CSUN in the paint, outscoring the Matadors 50-28. The Lobos also outscored the Matadors 26-13 off turnovers, 8-0 on fast breaks and 25-19 off the bench.
Joe Furstinger came off the bench for the second time in three games and sparked the Lobos. He finished with six points. Xavier Adams also came off the bench and scored six. Hunter finished with nine points and four assists.
New Mexico will take Saturday off, before playing in the final round of the Wooden Legacy Classic on Sunday. The Lobos will be playing for fifth place against the winner of Dayton/Portland on Sunday at Noon MT/ 11 a.m. PT. The game will broadcast on ESPNU and will be available on the radio on 770 KKOB.