Five score in double figures, Lobos claim 78-56 win
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Paced by five Lobos in double figures, The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team rebounded from a four-game losing skid on Wednesday night in Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit, topping Evansville by a score of 78-59 while shooting 49 percent from the floor (30-61).
Senior Sam Logwood and junior Troy Simons led the Lobos (3-4) with 14 points each, with Logwood adding five rebounds. Junior Chris McNeal added 13 points while junior Anthony Mathis and freshman Makuach Maluach chipped in 10 points apiece. The Lobos also posted 23 assists on 30 made baskets, 10 of which came from senior Antino Jackson.
“Obviously it was really good to get a win,” head coach Paul Weir said. “I thought we played a lot better tonight. We had a little lull there in the middle of the second half… but you’ve got to give Evansville credit. I’ve coached against and scouted against a lot of teams, and Marty Simmons is as good of a basketball coach as I’ve ever had to scout against. He eats basketball for breakfast. The guy is just awesome.”
Jackson’s 10 assists marks the second time this season that a Lobo has posted 10 or more assists, despite scoring just two points on the night compared to his usual 9.3 average.
“We’ve talked about it all week: your shots can’t dictate your effect on the game,” Weir said. “Antino’s ability to push the ball and transition in the second half really helped us win the game.”
After entering Wednesday’s game ranked fourth in the nation in forced turnovers (21.33) and eighth in turnover margin (6.5), New Mexico forced over 20 turnovers (21) for the fourth time this season while only committing 11, including just three in the second half.
Evansville (5-2) entered the matchup second in the country in three-point percentage (47.8) and the Lobos held the Purple Aces to just 3-of-13 from behind the arc, including 0-for-6 in the first half. Wednesday marked the first time this season that Evansville has been completely denied from the arc in a half.
In addition, the Purple Aces entered the game ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 58.2 points per game. Prior to the Lobos’ 78 points, the most Evansville had allowed in a game this season was 63.
The Lobos got off to a quick start as Simons opened the game with an early three-pointer, and UNM followed with an 11-0 run four minutes into the game to take a 16-5 lead, highlighted by back-to-back threes from junior Dane Kuiper. Evansville answered with a 9-0 run to close the gap to 16-14 with six minutes left in the first half.
The Lobos extended the lead back to nine at 25-16 on a pair of Logwood free throws three minutes later, and held a similar margin the rest of the half to enter the break leading 35-27.
New Mexico shot 40 percent from the floor, including 6-of-15 from behind the arc and a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe, compared to Evansville’s 33.3 field goal percentage, no three-pointers and 77.8 from the free throw line.
The Lobos opened up a 52-40 lead eight minutes into the second half with threes from McNeal, Simons and Mathis to fire up the crowd and claim the momentum. Four minutes later, another three from Mathis extended the Lobo lead to 19, 62-43.
Senior Joe Furstinger followed with a dunk 30 seconds later and the Lobos continued to run away with the game. An eight-point run fueled by a pair of Logwood layups, a McNeal jumper and a swift jumper from freshman Vladimir Pinchuk increased the lead to 24 with 1:43 left before the final 78-59 score.
The Lobos were able to capitalize on Evansville turnovers, scoring 20 points, while also outscoring the Purple Aces 20-2 on the fast break.
“It feels great (to get the win),” Maluach said. “There’s not a better feeling than winning in front of your home crowd. We’re a resilient group and we like each other a lot. When we win, we win together, and when we lose, we lose together. Hopefully we win more games than we lose.”
New Mexico travels to face UTEP in El Paso, Texas on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m.