Lobos Remain Unbeaten with 102-63 Win Over Western New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico men’s basketball team remained unbeaten on the season with a 102-63 victory over Division II Western New Mexico on Tuesday night at The Pit. The Lobos (8-0) are one of the final 10 unbeaten teams in Division I this season, while the game counted as an exhibition for the Mustangs (6-2).
Five Lobos scored in double figures, led by 18 points from Morris Udeze and 17 points from Jamal Mashburn, Jr. Donovan Dent had 12 points off the bench, while KJ Jenkins had 11 points and Birima Seck posted his first career double-figure game with a career-high 11 points.
Seck was one of three Lobos to score a career high on Tuesday, joined by Braden Appelhans (five points) and Mac Manzanares (first two career points). In addition, Josiah Allick tied a career high with 13 rebounds and Dent tied a career high with seven assists. Sebastian Forsling posted season highs of six points and five rebounds, while Safi Fino-A-Laself scored his first two points of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams traded baskets over the opening four minutes before the Lobos used a 12-0 run to take a 17-6 lead with 13:45 to go in the half. UNM pushed the lead to 23-10 at the midway point of the half and used a 14-0 run to lead 38-12 with 4:30 left. A three-pointer from Appelhans in the final seconds gave the Lobos their largest lead of the half at 49-20, which marked their largest halftime lead in four seasons. Udeze had 11 first-half points to lead New Mexico.
In the second half, the Lobos pushed the lead to 55-20 with a 6-0 run to start the period. A 10-2 Mustang run cut the lead to 60-35 with 13:40 to play before UNM held a 70-43 advantage at the midpoint of the half. The Lobos led by as many as 45 down the stretch before closing out the 39-point win.
LOBO NOTES
• Most points UNM has scored in a game since 104-65 victory over Our Lady of the Lake in 2020-21
• 39 points is the Lobos’ largest margin of victory since the same 104-65 win over Our Lady of the Lake
• All 12 Lobos who appeared in the game scored
• UNM improved to 8-0 for the first time since 2012-13
• The Lobos’ 40 defensive rebounds were third most in a game since 1986-87 (when the NCAA started to record offensive/defensive rebounds instead of just total rebounds)
• The Lobos had the same starting lineup for the eighth straight game to open the season
• Udeze has scored in double figures every game this season
• Mashburn scored in double figures for the 29th consecutive game, the longest active streak in the Mountain West
• Seck’s career-high 11 points matched his point total from his entire freshman season
QUOTABLE
“8-0. I am excited about it. There aren’t many places that get over 8,000 for a Tuesday against a Division II team. We have great fans and we are excited to be back here again on Saturday against UTSA. I thought the first half we played with a high level of maturity. It got away from us in the second half with the fouling. I was very happy with the way we were scrappy in the first half, diving on the floor for loose balls. We took a step back with our execution in the second half, but that first half was great.” – Richard Pitino
UP NEXT
The Lobos conclude their two-game homestand on Saturday by hosting UTSA. Game time at The Pit is 2 p.m. and the game will be available on the Mountain West Network.