ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team finished its exhibitions season 2-0 with a win over the Rogers State Hillcats, 80-69, Friday in the WisePies Arena AKA The Pit.
“It was another learning experience for our guys,” said head coach Craig Neal. “We gave some other guys some looks and let (Nikola Scekic) play a little bit. I thought he did some good things, I also thought Dane Kuiper did some good things.
“(The Lobos) play hard, they play really hard. I don’t have a problem with their effort, they have good attitudes, pretty decent body language, but they just have to mature a little bit. It’s a growing situation for them and I think they’ll do that, but it’s just the second time they’ve been together. We just have to get better.”
Cullen Neal once again led the Lobos on offense with 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting. He also tallied four assists and was 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Tim Williams filled up the box score in his second game played in WisePies Arena, logging a team-best eight rebounds, 13 points and four blocks.
“Tim is a prolific scorer,” stated Cullen Neal. “He’s always in the right place, if I’m driving the ball he always finds the open gap. I think that’s one of the biggest aspects of him.”
The Lobos jumped out to an early lead, 7-2 within the first two minutes, and never gave it up. With just over 10 minutes left, Neal drove through the lane for a layup and was fouled, leading to a three-point play that put the Lobos ahead 21-11. Down double digits, the Hillcats’ offense came alive. The road team shot 12-for-18 over the next 10 minutes to stay in the contest. The Lobos led, 41-37, at the break.
Rogers State caught fire down the stretch of the first half, but the Lobos maintained control by drawing fouls and turnovers. The Hillcats committed 10 turnovers in the opening period and gave UNM 21 free throw opportunities. Neal scored 15 of his 20 points in the first half, shooting 5-for-9.
The Lobos maintained their lead at the start of the second half, but the Hillcats kept their deficit in the single digits. Their hot shooting would run dry with 13 minutes left, as Rogers State did not log a field goal for over four minutes. During that stretch, The Lobos went up 61-49, their largest lead to that point. Rogers State brought the deficit down to as close as nine points but never threatened again. The Lobos led by as much as 15 points in the final five minutes, allowing Coach Neal to make sure he checked in all 15 of his active players down the stretch.
Overall, UNM shot 43.1 percent (22-for-51) from he floor. The Lobos were sent to the line 41 times, converting on 30 attempts. Two Hillcats fouled out, while four others ended the game with four fouls. UNM also won the turnover battle, 12-17.
“A lot of these DII guys came from DI schools,” said Williams. “They know how to play good basketball. We could always play better, but we’ve been pretty good.”
Elijah Brown and freshman Anthony Mathis each scored 10 points on the evening. Brown also contributed four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Xavier Adams tossed in six points and four assists, which would have been double his career-high mark. Devon Williams scored seven points on 3-for-4 shooting and collected four boards, while Obij Aget chipped in six points and rebounds apiece.
The Lobos will have a week’s worth of preseason left before the opening night of the 2015-16 regular season, taking place Friday, Nov. 13 at 5:30 p.m. against Texas Southern in WisePies Arena.
“I’m excited about my team, said Coach Neal, “I like my players, we just have to help them get better.”
(11/6/2015) Men’s Basketball vs. Rogers State