Lobos Cap Unbeaten Non-Conference with 94-63 Win over Prairie View A&M
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico men’s basketball team finished an unbeaten non-conference schedule with a 94-63 victory over Prairie View A&M on Tuesday night at The Pit. The Lobos (12-0) led wire-to-wire against the Panthers (4-8) to start a season with 12 straight wins for just the fifth time in program history.
Five Lobos scored in double figures, led by Jamal Mashburn, Jr. with 17 points. Morris Udeze had 16 points and matched a career high with 14 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Donovan Dent scored a career-high 14 points off the bench, while KJ Jenkins added 13 points. Jaelen House nearly had a double-double of his own with 10 points and a season-high nine assists.
The Lobos recorded a school-record 14 blocks in the game, as seven different players recorded at least one. The previous record of 12 was set five different times, most recently against UMass in 2013-14. New Mexico also grabbed 64 rebounds on the night, T-10th most in program history and the most against a Division I opponent since 1977-78. Prairie View A&M shot 28.2% (20-71) from the floor, the lowest percentage by a Division I team against the Lobos since San Jose State shot 27.0% at The Pit in 2019-20.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lobos started the game strong, holding the Panthers without a field goal for the first three-and-a-half minutes, taking an 8-3 lead. A 13-0 UNM run gave the Lobos a 27-10 lead with 10:15 to play in the half. New Mexico pushed the lead to as many as 24 in the first half before taking a 47-25 lead into the break. Mashburn had 14 first-half points to lead the Lobos.
In the second half, an early 7-0 run gave UNM a 54-27 lead with 17:30 to play. After the Panthers cut the lead to 20, a 7-0 Lobo run made it 64-37 with 12:20 to go. New Mexico led 68-47 at the midway point of the half and would lead by as many as 33 down the stretch before closing out the 31-point victory.
Jaelen House –> Morris Udeze. #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/oAoZxmVZHb
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) December 21, 2022
LOBO NOTES
• UNM improved to 12-0 for the first time since 2012-13
• New Mexico is one of the final three unbeaten teams in the nation
• UNM had a perfect non-conference record for the fourth time in history (1995-96, 1972-73, 1933-34; not including 4-0 in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season)
• The Lobos had the same starting lineup for the 12th straight game to open the season
• Mashburn scored in double figures for the 33rd consecutive game, the longest active streak in the Mountain West
QUOTABLE
“I was concerned about this game. Prairie View beat Washington State. They played Northwestern tough. There were a lot of good things today. School-record shot blocks. We passed the ball much better in the second half. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen 64 rebounds. It was good to get out of this with a win. Now, these guys need to go spend some time with their families for the holidays and get some rest to gear up for what’s ahead of us. It is a whole new season. I’m not going to act like going 12-0 in the non-conference isn’t an accomplishment. To be able to do that in year two speaks to the character in the locker room. We will enjoy it for a day or two, but then turn the page and get everyone back to lock in for Colorado State.” – Richard Pitino
UP NEXT
The Lobos will open Mountain West play on Dec. 28 as they host Colorado State. Game time at The Pit is 7 p.m. and the game will air on CBS Sports Network.