KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The New Mexico men’s basketball team rallied from down 20 points in the first half to make it a four-point game midway through the second half, but fell to Nebraska 84-72 on Thursday night in the first game of the Hall of Fame Classic at T-Mobile Center. The Lobos (3-2) couldn’t over come a slow offensive start, while the Cornhuskers (5-0) extend the nation’s longest active win streak to nine.
Jake Hall scored a career-high 20 points to lead New Mexico. Antonio Chol added 12 points, Tomislav Buljan had 11 points and Uriah Tenette scored 10 points off the bench.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Huskers got off to a quick start, taking an 11-2 lead after the opening three minutes. The lead grew to 22-5 with 12:15 left as Nebraska went on an 11-1 run. Nebraska led 27-13 at the midway point of the half and pushed the margin to 33-13 with 8:15 left. A 7-0 Lobo run cut the margin to 33-20 with 6:30 left, but the Huskers used a late 7-0 run to take a 43-25 lead into halftime. Hall had six first-half points to lead UNM.
In the second half, the Lobos used an early 13-2 run to cut the lead to 48-41 over the first four-and-a-half minutes. The lead was cut to four at 51-47 with 12:20 as UNM made 6-of-10 from deep to start the half. Nebraska led 57-49 at the midway point of the half and used a 7-0 run to push the lead to 66-53 with 6:40 to play. The Lobos would get within eight down the stretch before the Huskers closed out the 12-point win at the free throw line.
LOBO NOTES
• New Mexico shot a school-record 44 3-pointers (previous record for 3-point attempts was 42 in a double overtime game vs. New Mexico State in 1993-94)
• Hall became the first Lobo to lead the team in scoring for the second time this season
• UNM now has five players averaging double-figure scoring this season
• The 18-point halftime deficit was the Lobos’ largest since 2022-23 at Utah State (19 points at 46-27)
QUOTABLE
“They got off to a really good start offensively and we dug ourselves a hole. I appreciated the way our guys responded at the half to make a run and make it a game in the second half. It just wasn’t enough to complete the comeback.” – Eric Olen
UP NEXT
The Lobos will play either Kansas State or Mississippi State on Friday, in the consolation game (5:00 pm MT). The Lobos and Wildcats last met in 2006-07 when they met twice, a UNM win in The Pit and a KSU win in the Las Vegas Invitational. New Mexico and Mississippi State have never met before.