ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team started off exhibition play on a strong note, defeating the Western New Mexico Mustangs, 113-57, Wednesday in WisePies Arena – The Pit.
“All in all, it was good” said head coach Craig Neal. “I thought it was good to get our guys in front of another team and get five of our newcomers on the floor. I was impressed with some things they did and there’s still some things we’ve got to work on. They did everything I asked them to do. Hopefully we’ll continue to get better tomorrow and be ready for Friday’s exhibition.”
The Lobos were led by freshman Damien Jefferson, who scored a game-high 16 points in his first game as a Lobo. He shot 5-for-12 from the field and 5-for-8 from the free throw line. He also picked up three rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes of play.
Four other Lobos scored in double-digits. Senior Obij Aget finished with 14 points, going 6-for-8 from the field. Senior Tim Williams pitched in 13 points, shooting 6-for-7. Sophomores Jordan Hunter and Connor MacDougall each finished with 12 points. Hunter was perfect from the three, going 4-for-4.
It was the first chance the Lobo fans really saw this team in action. The Lobos took a 7-5 lead within the first few minutes of the game. The Lobos took the lead for good on a three from Hunter. They would go on to a 9-0 run, getting scores from Aget, junior Sam Logwood and Hunter, and did not allow the Mustangs to score until the 13:03 mark.
The Lobos continued to push on the offensive side of the ball. Another big run from the Lobos gave them a 40-15 lead with 6:32 left in the half. They then pushed their lead after a Hunter trey, going up by 32 with 2:46 left in the half. In the final four seconds of the half, two free throws from Jefferson and a layup from Xavier Adams gave the Lobos a halftime lead of 59-27.
The second half opened up with a layup from Tim Williams, and the Lobos continued to dominate the Mustangs. After the second media timeout of the half, the Lobos went up 81-37. They hit the 101-point mark with Hunter’s fourth three on the game. The four final points of the game came from Jefferson.
Defense came out strong on the night forcing 21 Mustang turnovers. The Lobos only had nine turnovers in the 40 minutes.
“We have concentrated on guarding the ball and working on our defense. I think that was better. They did a great job of communicating and playing as a group.”
The Lobos will wrap up exhibition play Friday night with Eastern New Mexico in WisePies Arena – The Pit at 7 p.m.