Lobos break Oral Roberts’ 10-game win streak in snapback 82-75 win
[anvplayer video=”5156556″ station=”998122″]
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — “We needed to have a mature bounce back from the UNLV game,” and the Lobos made good on Coach Pitino’s word.
The Lobos ended Oral Roberts’ 10-game win streak at the Pit, 82-75, to cap off their non-conference schedule.
The Oral Roberts game was a late addition to UNM’s schedule to make up for one of the two missed New Mexico State games this season. This win caps off the Lobos’ perfect non-conference schedule, 13-0 – only the fifth time in school history.
After back-to-back conference losses and being knocked out of the Top 25, the Lobos came out strong against Golden Eagles.
After a winning tip, UNM came out on a 6-0 run, in a similar start to how they did against UNLV.
UNM Lobos snapped their two-game losing streak and Oral Roberts' 10-game winning streak Monday night at The Pit.
Guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. led this run and led the team with his pure shots Monday. Mashburn Jr. put up 24 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. This is his 38th consecutive game in doubles figures – the second-longest streak in the nation.
Jalen House played more composed this game as well coming out of his Saturday game slump. House put up 15 points and five assists.
While the guards got their groove back, the Lobos’ frontcourt heavily contributed to the stat sheet. Morris Udeze and Josiah Allick both added double-doubles for the Lobos.
Udeze finished 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Allick put up 15 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.
“We had to go inside. We felt like we had the advantage there, we were more mature offensively,” Coach Pitino said.
The Lobos held their lead heading into halftime 43-35, another sight similar to the UNLV game. This time, though, UNM came out from their lockerroom differently, not looking to repeat the scenario from Saturday’s game.
“Obviously a lot of momentum going into [the] half, and had a lot of momentum going into [the] half against UNLV and so we just had to be real dialed,” Allick said.
While Oral Roberts and the Lobos exchanged baskets in the second half, the Lobos fought played through mistakes and quickly got back in control.
Freshman Donavan Dent sparked momentum all throughout the game too with three major blocks, steals, and a bouncy, two-handed slam from the 6-foot-2 frosh.
KJ Jenkins, who notched seven points for the night, coupled with some foul trouble, started his first game of the season after Javonte Johnson was out with some sort of elbow injury.
The Golden Eagles fought back towards the end, especially with their top guard Max Abmas leading the charge.
Abmas has been averaging 20 points per game. On Monday, he netted 26 points, five rebounds, and three assists, but it wasn’t enough to stop UNM.
The Lobos return to strictly conference play when they head to Viejas Arena to battle No. 23 San Diego State, Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. on CBS Sports.