ALBUQUERQUE, N.M – The New Mexico men’s basketball team returns to Las Vegas this weekend for the Jack Jones Classic, playing Santa Clara Saturday at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson. The game will tip-off at 2:00 p.m. PT (3:00 p.m. MT) and will be broadcast via subscription on BallerTV and on the Lobo Radio Network.
The game will mark the fourth game of the season for the Lobos at the Dollar Loan Center, having won defeated Toledo, Rice and Pepperdine last month in the Ball Dawgs Classic. It is also the second straight year that UNM has played in the Jack Jones Classic, having defeated San Francisco in last year’s event at Mandalay Bay.
The Lobos are 8-1 on the season and enter the game on a seven-game win streak. Donovan Dent is one of just two players in the nation to be averaging 17 points (17.1) and seven assists per game this season. New Mexico has the last three Mountain West Freshman of the Week honors, with Tru Washington this week’s honoree after JT Toppin had won the award the previous two weeks.
Santa Clara enters the event with a 7-2 record, but haven’t played since a loss at Cal last weekend. Carlos Marshall Jr., who missed the game with Cal due to injury, leads the Broncos in scoring at 15.6 per game.
After the Jack Jones Classic, the Lobos will return to action on Dec. 15 with a visit to Las Cruces for the second meeting of the year of the Rio Grande Rivalry. New Mexico downed New Mexico State 106-62 in the first meeting on Dec. 2 at The Pit. The rematch at the Pan American Center will tip-off at 7 p.m. and air on CBS Sports Network.