Stevens: Hot-Shooting Lobos Tame Bulldogs 76-64
New Mexico Lobos Men’s Basketball – In WisePies Arena
New Mexico Lobos 76, Fresno State 64
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
His Lobos obviously listened – and maybe hammered a few kinks out of their shooting arms.
Coach Neal said going into Wednesday’s Mountain West clash with Fresno State that his New Mexico Lobos needed to “shoot the ball,” meaning shoot it well.
The Lobos probably exceeded Neal’s expectations in the smooth 76-64 win over the Bulldogs from Fresno, Calif. Consider just a few of the sizzling numbers:
- The Lobos shot 80 percent from 3-point range.
- The Lobos shot 75 percent from the floor in the second half.
- The Lobos shot 59 percent for the game.
The Lobos were as hot as a New Year’s Eve firecracker which gave Neal and his Lobos exactly the start they wanted to Mountain West play.
“They were good shots,” said Neal, who saw his Lobos go to 9-4 on the year and 1-0 in league play. “They weren’t forced shots. They weren’t shots under duress.
“It’s a good start to the New Year for us. That was a great win for our program.”
The win was great because 1-0 is a whole lot better than the 0-1 record that Fresno State carried out of WisePies Arena.
It also was Lobos playing the way Lobos need to play in order to challenge for the 2015 MW title. Neal said there were times during the game that his Lobos showed “signs of brilliance,” and the ability to “compete for something special.”
That special thing is a Mountain West regular-season title. UNM has a shot to go 2-0 on Saturday when Colorado State visits The Pit.
If the Lobos shoot anything like they did against Fresno, the CSU Rams might be in for a long afternoon. The 80 percent (8-of-10) from 3-point range was 1.8 percent off a program record.
“We definitely have guys who can shoot,” said senior Hugh Greenwood, who had 16 points going 4-of-6 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. “We can all shoot. It’s just a focus thing.”
Greenwood was joined in double figures by Deshawn Delaney with 12 points and Devon Williams with 10 points. Fresno State has four players in double figures led by Marvelle Harris with 19. The Bulldogs got 19 points off their bench and UNM subbed in 29 points.
The Lobos trailed 16-12 at the 13:27 mark of the first half, but went up 17-16 on a 3-pointer by Greenwood and never again lost the lead. UNM was up 32-20 with 5:24 to play before settling for a 36-29 halftime lead. Xavier Adams paced the first half with eight points and Devon Williams had seven.
Fresno State cut the Lobos’ lead to 36-35 early in the second half before the Lobos threw out a 17-3 run to go up 53-38. The closest the Bulldogs could come after that was 65-56 with 3:14 to play. The Lobos’ win was never in question down the stretch.
“It’s huge,” Greenwood said of opening MW play at 1-0. “You have to protect home and get some wins on the road and you have a pretty good chance to succeed. Everything matters now. He (Coach Neal) came in at halftime and had lost his voice.”
Coach Neal was pretty vocal and pretty active on the sidelines doing “whatever I can” to help his team win. The Lobos made things easy on their coach with the hot shooting. They also played pretty solid defense holding Fresno State to 38.6 percent shooting. The Bulldogs shot 23 percent from 3-point range in the second half trying to form a rally.
“I was happy with the way our guys played defense,” said Neal. “I think our zone was excellent and I think our 1-3-1 trap was excellent.
“We have to be really positive about the win today. There was really good senior leadership from Hugh. I’m really proud of the guys.”
Neal said The Pit crowd also was a factor. It was New Year’s Eve and 14,478 showed up to party with the Lobos in WisePies Arena.
“We have the best fans in the league and we have the best facility,” said Neal. “The crowd here does a lot for our team.”
Editor’s Note: Richard Stevens is a former national award-winning Sports Columnist and Associate Sports Editor at The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net.