ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Lobo senior Tim Williams went off for a career high 31 points to lead the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team past Houston Baptist Monday night, 95-79 in WisePies Arena – The Pit.
“Tim Williams had an outstanding night,” said head coach Craig Neal. “…probably one of the best nights he’s had.”
Williams finished 10-for-11 from the field and 11-for-12 from the free throw line. He also tallied 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double of the season. The double-double marks eighth in his career.
“We have a lot of talent and they’re learning,” Neal said. “We’ll continue to be positive with those guys and they’ll grow. I thought that we were able to play a lot of guys. All in all, I think our guys are trying. We just got to get better.”
“I just tried to be efficient,” said Williams. “Coach Neal did a great job of putting me in position to score, so did the guards, they were looking for me.”
Along with Williams, true freshman Jalen Harris stepped up tonight, coming off the bench and finishing with 13 points. He was 4-for-4 from the field and 4-for-6 from the foul line. He dished out four assists and picked up a steal in 23 minutes of play. Junior Xavier Adams finished with 11 points, shooting 7-for-10 from the foul line.
The Lobos started out hot on the night, shooting 72 percent (18-for-25) in the first half. After the first media timeout of the game, the Lobos came out on a 6-0 run to take a 14-6 lead with 14:03 left in the half. Eight points from Williams and four from sophomore Connor MacDougall within the next five minutes pushed the Lobo lead to 20-11.
Back-to-back dunks from freshman Damien Jefferson and Adams pushed the Lobos to a 28-13 lead. The Lobo defense held the Huskies off for the next four minutes. Houston Baptist did not score from the 10:35 mark to the 6:37 mark. Sam Logwood, who finished the night with nine points and six rebounds, finished the half with a three, giving the Lobos a 50-31 lead.
The second half proved to be much different than the first as the Lobos struggled on the defensive side. Houston Baptist came out of the half scoring five points with in the first two minutes, forcing UNM to a timeout. The Huskies brought the score within 11 with 12:41 to go. The rest of the way the Lobos managed to be consistent on offense. The Lobos got a big three-point play from Adams with 1:20 left to play.
“I think when we get a lead we kind of get relaxed a little bit,” said Williams. “…and we kind of trade buckets as well, so I think we have to get that mentality; once we get up on a team, we have to do that same thing, do everything that got us to that point.”
For the game, the Lobos shot 62.2 percent (28-for-45) from the field and 83.3 percent (35-for-42) from the free throw line. They picked up 38 bench points to HBU’s 25 and had 38 points in the paint. The Lobos out-rebounded their opponent once again, 33-25.
Next up for the Lobos will be the Rio Grande Rivalry, as they play host to New Mexico State for the first of the two games series this season. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside WisePies Arena – The Pit and will broadcast on ESPN3.
NOTE: The Lobos celebrated Nike N7 and American Indian Night, in conjunction with Nike N7 to honor Native American Heritage Month. The Lobos played in special jerseys, which were auctioned off through halftime and raised over $3,400. The turquoise jerseys represent harmony, friendship and fellowship in Native American Culture. Thank you to all fans who participated.