PHOTO BY JOE GRIMANDO

ALBUQUERQUE- The UNM Lobos (6-2) nearly cracked the century mark in total points, in their rout of the visiting New Mexico Highlands (0-3) at The Pit Dec. 1.

The final: UNM 97, Highlands 47.

It was a good performance for us. I thought we had a mature approach. We did a nice job of competing regardless of score,” UNM head coach Eric Olen said. “Pleased with the performance, and hopefully we can build on it.”

From the tipoff to the final buzzer, this game was dominated by the Lobos.

Getting hot early for UNM, was true freshman Jake Hall who became the first freshman to have back-to-back 20 point performances since Kenny Thomas.

In 15 minutes, Hall finished the night 21 points, five rebounds, and five three pointers. His output in points and threes were both team highs.

From beyond the arch, the Lobos took their chances. UNM attempted 50 threes, and sank 19 of them: Timeo Pons, Tajavis Miller, and Antonio Chol each had three a piece.

“That’s my game…I am confident in my shot,” Pons said.

Guard Deyton Albury was an important cog defensively, and helped set up his shooters. The senior led the team in assists (6) and tied for the lead in steals (3).

Defensively, the Lobos were disciplined, and did not allow a Cowboy player to reach double digits.

Another important factor for the Lobos success was the efficiency of the Lobos role players.

Players like Pons, Kevin Patton Jr., and JT rock logged some minutes, and had season bests.

Patton Jr. had six defensive rebounds, and two steals. Rock showcased his potential by nearly logging a double-double, he finished the night with 10 points, nine boards, two blocks, and one steal.

“I thought we did a good job of coming in with the right focus tonight, coming out sharp. It’s kind of easy like we’ve seen, previously, this season, that we come out slow. There were less fans tonight. Low energy but a big thing that we talked about before the game was to bring your own energy,” Rock said.

Despite playing a D-2 school, it was a nice showing for the Eric Olen led Lobos team that will need to play their best game come Saturday, Dec. 6 when Santa Clara (7-1) comes to The Pit.

“We need everybody here. We need the full-throat version of The Pitt because this is a great basketball team,” Coach Olen said of the upcoming matchup.

The upcoming UNM game will be a white out, and tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

Players of the Game:

UNM Lobos: True freshman guard Jake Hall: 21 points in 15 minutes. 5-8 on three pointers, and four rebounds.

NM Highlands Cowboys: Junior guard Robert Dix: 13 rebounds, eight points, one assist, and one block