Lobos 2-0 After 27-Point Rout of CSUN
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team has kicked off the 2019-20 season 2-0 after earning a 27-point victory over the visiting CSUN Matadors inside Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit on Saturday night by a score of 97-70. The win marks the second 20+ point victory margin for the Lobos as the squad is averaging 94.5 points over its first two games.
In addition, 27 points marks the largest margin of victory for the Lobos over the Matadors in series history. UNM now leads the series 7-0 (5-0 in The Pit) and the victory margin surpasses 17 points set on Dec. 1, 1969, which marked the squads’ first ever meeting.
For the second straight game, UNM (2-0) boasted five scorers in double figures including redshirt-senior JaQuan Lyle who powered the Lobos offensively with 18 points and five assists. Lyle went 7-for-10 from the floor, 2-for-4 from 3-point range and a perfect 2-for-2 from the free throw line.
Joining Lyle in leading the squad in scoring was redshirt-senior Carlton Bragg (17), senior Corey Manigault (17), redshirt-junior Zane Martin (13) and redshirt-junior Keith McGee. Bragg went 6-for-7 from the floor and 5-for-7 from the stripe. Saturday’s game marks the second straight that Bragg, Manigault, Martin and McGee have racked up double figures.
Leading UNM defensively was junior Makuach Maluach who posted a team-high eight rebounds. Eight rebounds is just two away from Maluach’s career high of 10. As a squad defensively, the Lobos outrebounded the Matadors 36-30 and forced 16 turnovers which they converted for 26 points.
“It was a step for sure defensively tonight. Probably a bigger one than I even anticipated. (CSUN) is a good team,” head coach Paul Weir said. “They play hard, you could see the way they came out. They have good athletes, they made some shots early and got into a bit of a rhythm and fortunately our defense was able to still settle in after that and get enough stops to take a step.
“It’s crazy that this isn’t really about winning and losing as much as it is about just trusting our process and continuing to grow.”
UNM started out hot with an 8-0 run to get out to an early 11-3 lead, however the squads battled throughout the first half until a 9-0 run gave the Lobos some breathing room with a 10-point advantage, 38-28 with 1:48 left in the first half. The Lobos extended the lead to as many as 14, outscoring CSUN (0-2) by a score of 18-3 over 8:47 at the end of the half. CSUN redshirt-junior Lance Coleman II hit a three with five seconds left to make it an 11-point game at the break.
At the half, the Lobos were firing at a clip of 64 percent from the field (16-25) led by Lyle with 11 points going 4-for-6. From behind the arc, UNM shot 37.5 percent in the first half to go along with an 88.9 percent shot from the stripe (8-for-9). CSUN shot 36.4 percent from the floor in the first half, 38.5 percent from behind the arc and 37.5 percent from the foul line.
With momentum in their favor, the Lobos didn’t let up in the second half. The relentless Lobo offense opened with a dunk from Bragg just 13 seconds in to make the score 45-32.
UNM held CSUN scoreless for 2:51 en route to a 16-point lead at the 14:22 mark in the second half before a McGee and-1 put the Lobos on top 60-43 in front of a roaring Pit crowd of over 10,000 fans.
The Lobos continued to pile on the points, getting out to as much as a 29-point lead with 1:56 left on the clock before CSUN scored a pair of points for the 27-point final.
On the night, UNM shot 60 percent for the second straight game (36-60) but shot just 37.5 percent from 3-point range (6-16). CSUN improved its shooting percentage to 44.4 percent after the second half in which the squad shot 53.3 percent.
The Matadors were led by a pair of players in double figures including Coleman (19) and junior Terrell Gomez (14).
The Lobos are set to return to action for the third game of their four-game season-opening homestand on Wednesday, Nov. 13 against Green Bay. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.