Lobos Post 103-89 Win at Fresno State to Complete Road Trip Sweep
FRESNO, Calif. – The New Mexico men’s basketball team capped a two-game road trip sweep with a 103-89 victory at Fresno State on Tuesday night at the Save Mart Center. The Lobos (11-3, 3-0 MW) won their fourth straight and start a conference season 3-0 for the first time since 2015-16, while handing the Bulldogs (4-10, 0-3 MW) their third straight loss.
Mustapha Amzil and CJ Noland each scored 23 points to lead New Mexico, as Noland matched his career high. Donovan Dent added 18 points, Tru Washington scored 14 points and Nelly Junior Joseph had 12 points and 12 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the year.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lobos used an early 12-0 run, sparked by a pair of Amzil triples, to lead 14-3 after five minutes of play. The lead grew to 19-6 with 13:20 left in the half as the run grew to 17-3. New Mexico led 31-14 just past the midway point of the half and would grow to as many as 18 at 39-21 with 6:00 left. After Fresno State had closed the margin to 10, the Lobos finished the half on a 7-0 run to take a 53-36 lead into halftime. Amzil had 14 points (5-5 FG) to lead UNM in the first half.
In the second half, New Mexico pushed the lead to 62-43 over the opening four minutes and led 72-53 with 13 minutes to go. The Lobos led 79-65 at the midway point of the half before the Bulldogs closed to 86-75 with 5:30 to play. UNM used an 8-0 run to extend the lead to 94-75 with four minutes left to play and closed out the 14-point win.
LOBO NOTES
• UNM snapped an eight-game losing streak in Fresno, winning at the Save Mart Center for the first time since 2015-16
• The Lobos’ 103 points marked their most in a conference game since 2018, winning 108-87 at Colorado State
• New Mexico’s 53 first half points were its most in a road game since scoring 58 in the first half at Colorado State in 2018
• Noland became the sixth different Lobo to have a 20-point game this season
• Noland’s 23 points were the most off the bench by a Lobo since 2022 (KJ Jenkins – 26 at UNLV)
QUOTABLE
“We haven’t won here in nine years, so this was great. It was a long trip as we stayed out after Colorado State. We just had to find a way to get it done. We had some really good moments, but I am frustrated again by the final three or four minutes again. You should be happy with a 14-point win, but the metrics have shown that a 25-point win might matter. The first half was great defensively. We were ready to go. We just need to be a little bit stronger on the ball at the end.” – Richard Pitino
UP NEXT
The Lobos return home on Jan. 3 to host Nevada in the 1,000th game in The Pit. Game time is 9:00 pm and the game will air on FS1. Tickets are on sale now at GoLobos.com/tickets.