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ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Senior Joe Furstinger recorded his first career double-double (17 points, 12 rebounds) and four other Lobos scored in double digits to lead The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team past Rice 78-69 in Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit on Tuesday night.
Furstinger, in his first game of the season off the bench, set career-highs in points and rebounds, breaking his previous bests of 11 in each. His double-double was the first in points and rebounds for the Lobos since senior Sam Logwood recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds last season on Feb. 25 against Wyoming, making it the first for UNM this season.
Tuesday night also marked the third time this season that the Lobos had five players score in double digits. Furstinger led the way with his 17, followed by Logwood (15), juniors Troy Simons (15), Chris McNeal (13) and Dane Kuiper (10). Kuiper also posted a game-high six assists for a new career high.
“I think we all wanted a huge, blowout win – or whatever that may be – to say that we’re back and all that, but it’s Division I basketball and you have to earn the right to win,” head coach Paul Weir said. “I feel like we are earning the right to win, these guys work really hard.
“We spend a lot of time on the court. We spend a lot of time in the film room. We’re trying to fix our weaknesses, and so far, these kids have bought in. There’s not a lot of kids, at 3-8, that would look at a first-year coach and buy in, but they’re still buying in and I’m thankful for that.”
The Lobos (4-8) controlled the majority of the game, never trailing past the 16:34 mark of the first half.
Junior Anthony Mathis and freshman Vladimir Pinchuk got their first career starts against the Owls (3-9), and Pinchuk quickly put the Lobos on the board with a layup in the first 40 seconds of play.
The Lobos fell behind three, 10-7 at the 17:16 mark but went on a 5-0 run to take a two-point lead, 12-10, with 16:34 remaining in the half. After being tied at 14, Simons and McNeal hit back-to-back threes to put the Lobos up six, 20-14, with 11:53 on the clock.
UNM widened its lead to nine, 27-18, with a layup from Logwood with 9:12 left to play in the half. The Owls closed the lead to three, 31-28, on a series of layups with six minutes to go. A minute later, the Lobos extended the margin back to eight, 36-28, on a Furstinger layup and Simons three, but Rice went on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 36 with 4:12 on the clock.
New Mexico answered with a 7-2 run to end the half leading 43-38, holding Rice to just two points on a pair of free throws in the last four minutes of play.
The Lobos shot 46.9 percent from the field in the first half, including 27.8 percent from behind the arc and 88.9 percent from the free throw line. New Mexico outrebounded Rice 17-13 in the first half.
Simons opened the second half with a dunk to put New Mexico up seven, 45-38, with 18:48 to go. McNeal drilled a three with 13:56 on the clock to give the Lobos a 10-point lead, 54-44, their largest of the night. They extended that lead to 12, 56-44, on a pair of Furstinger free throws. After Rice closed the Lobo margin to six, 61-55, Simons nailed back-to-back threes within 16 seconds to widen the lead back to 12, 67-55, with 8:41 on the clock.
The Owls continued to edge back into the game, cutting the lead to five, 68-63, but a Furstinger three-point play put the Lobos back up eight, 71-63 with 5:08 to play. Logwood hit a pair of free throws to widen the margin back to ten, 73-63.
Kuiper’s two free throws with 28 seconds remaining made him the fifth Lobo to score in double figures, and made the score 78-66. The Owls scored off a free throw and a layup as time expired to make the final 78-69.
New Mexico shot 40.3 percent and finished with 40 rebounds for the first time since the season opener against Northern New Mexico. The Lobos outrebounded the Owls 40-36, marking the third time this season and the first time since Omaha that UNM has outrebounded its opponent. The Lobo bench outscored Rice’s 62-28.
The Lobos continue a five-game home stretch as they face Prairie View A&M on Friday, Dec. 22 in Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit at 7 p.m.
Not only is Friday’s game the second “Friends and Family Day” allowing students to bring three free guests to the student section, but it will also be broadcast live on AT&T SportsNet.