New Mexico Pulls Away For 86-61 Win Over Grambling State
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico men’s basketball team returned home Monday to post an 86-61 victory over Grambling State at The Pit. The Lobos (2-1) used a second-half surge to pull away from the Tigers (0-3) and post their second home victory of the season.
Jamal Mashburn, Jr. and Jaelen House each scored 18 points to lead five Lobos in double figures. Javonte Johnson set career-highs with 16 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Taryn Todd scored 16 points to post a career high for the second straight game and Gethro Muscadin added 12 points and a career-high eight rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Grambling opened the game strong, taking an early 13-7 lead before the Lobos used a 13-2 run to take their first lead of the night. New Mexico led by as many as seven in the first half before a 7-0 Tiger run tied the game with three minutes left in the half. The Lobos used a late push to take a 37-33 lead into the break. Mashburn had 11 points and Todd had 10 points to lead UNM in the first half.
The Lobos started the second half on an 12-3 run to push the lead to 49-36 with 15 minutes to play. New Mexico increased the lead to as many as 17 before the Tigers used a 10-0 run to cut the advantage to 61-54 with 8:39 to play. The Lobos regained control and ended the game on an 11-0 run to close out the 25-point victory.
BLOCK! Muscadin block leads to an assist by Johnson to Todd for the layup. #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/n3zznDa1QY
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) November 16, 2021
LOBO NOTES
• House had a career-high eight steals, the most by a player against a Division I opponent this season
• After going 18 years since without having a player get seven steals in a game (Danny Granger’s eight vs. Penn State in 2003-04), the Lobos had a player accomplish the feat for the second straight game (Todd’s seven at Colorado and House’s eight tonight)
• House also recorded a career-high seven assists
• Mashburn scored in double figures in his sixth consecutive game (dating back to last season at Minnesota)
• Johnson scored in double figures for the second straight game and the third time in his career
• Todd had a career-high four blocks (had a total of five career blocks over his first 28 collegiate games)
• Sebastian Forsling made his first career start
• The Lobos have had a different starting five in all three games this season
• Jeremiah Francis III made his season debut
QUOTABLE
“I told our guys, going into the game, that this will be the hardest game you have played all year. You play FAU on opening night and there is going to be emotion and excitement. You play Colorado on the road, a Pac-12 school, packed house, and you are going to be fired up. It is human nature when you see Grambling State, and that’s no disrespect to them, they are a great team that is talented and well-coached, to take your foot off the gas. I was proud of the way we really revved it up in the second half. A 25-point win is great, but there is a lot to learn from this as we get ready for a huge game on Saturday against a terrific team in Montana State.” – Head Coach Richard Pitino
UP NEXT
The Lobos continue the three-game homestand on Saturday as they host Montana State at 2 p.m. at The Pit. The game is Kids Day and fans can get one free youth ticket for every adult ticket purchased at ticket office. As part of Kids Day, the Lobos will be answering questions from kids throughout the game on the videoboard. Parents can submit their child’s question by uploading the video at GoLobos.com/kidsdayquestion or tweet them @UNMLoboMBB with the hashtag #LoboKidsQuestion by noon on Thursday.