No. 22 Lobos Down Colorado State 88-69 in Mountain West Opener
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The No. 22 New Mexico men’s basketball team opened conference play in strong fashion, downing Colorado State 88-69 on Wednesday night in front of a crowd of 15,215, the largest at The Pit in seven years. The Lobos (13-0, 1-0) open a season with 13 straight wins for just the second time in program history, joining the 1967-68 Lobo squad that started 17-0. The Rams fell to 8-6 overall, 0-1 in the Mountain West with the loss.
Jaelen House had a season-high 26 points on 10-14 FGs, including 5-6 from deep, to go along with five assists and three steals to lead New Mexico. Jamal Mashburn, Jr. added 19 points and Morris Udeze had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. KJ Jenkins added 11 points off the bench.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After the Rams opened the game with five straight points, a season-best 17-0 Lobo run gave them a double-digit lead after five minutes. CSU cut the advantage to 19-12 with 12:00 to go. UNM took a 35-16 lead with just over eight minutes left in the half after making six straight field goals. A 12-2 run gave UNM a 47-22 lead with three minutes left before taking a 49-24 lead into halftime. House had 16 first half points to lead UNM.
In the second half, CSU used a 12-2 run to cut the lead to 52-36 with 17:00 to play. The Lobos pushed the advantage to 61-38 with 13:10 to play and led 64-45 at the midway point of the half. UNM extended the lead to 76-50 with 6:30 to play before a CSU 7-0 run made it 78-60 with 5:10 to go. The Lobos would lead by as many as 22 down the stretch before closing out the 19-point victory.
Its the Jaelen House show tonight at The Pit. #GoLobos@CBSSportsNet pic.twitter.com/1zCSgBscqR
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) December 29, 2022
LOBO NOTES
• UNM improved to 13-0 for the second time in program history (started 17-0 in 1967-68)
• New Mexico is one of the final three unbeaten teams in the nation
• UNM made a season-high 15 3-pointers, shooting 60% from deep (15-of-25)
• The Lobos had the same starting lineup for the 13th straight game to open the season
• UNM’s 25-point halftime lead was its largest vs. a Mountain West opponent since 2018 at Colorado State (led 58-32)
• Mashburn scored in double figures for the 34th consecutive game, the longest active streak in the Mountain West
QUOTABLE
“It was just an amazing crowd. I can’t say it enough. To get 15,000, during the holidays, on a weeknight, it is just amazing. We have one of the best fan bases in all of college basketball. Our guys did a great job of locking in on the offensive scouting report. That’s why we took so many threes, because they were going to pack the paint. We were able to knock down a bunch in the first half. Jaelen was phenomenal on (Isaiah) Stevens. He was just unbelievably disruptive. I thought overall it was a terrific game. It is the first time since 1967-68 that we have started 13-0 and our guys should be applauded for that.” – Richard Pitino
UP NEXT
The Lobos will begin a two-game road trip on Saturday with a New Year’s Eve visit to Wyoming. Game time in Laramie is 2 p.m. and the game will air on FS1.