PHOTO BY JOE GRIMANDO
Albuquerque, NM – The Pit –
FINAL: New Mexico 84, Saint Joseph’s 69
Postseason basketball. The PIT. What more could you really ask for..?
The New Mexico Lobos (25-10) – A #1-seed in the National Invitation Tournament (also known as the NIT), got to play host for one last time in the 2025-26 season. The occasion? An NIT quarterfinal match-up against the dangerously underrated Saint Joseph’s Hawks, of the always-competitive Atlantic-10 Conference. The stakes? Win, and earn a trip to Indianapolis (where the NIT’s Final Four will be held); or lose, and call it a season.
The Hawks (24-12) finished third in the Atlantic-10, splitting a pair of games in the A-10 Tournament, before stringing together a pair of impressive upset wins to advance through the NIT’s opening rounds. SJU knocked off Mountain West departee Colorado State in Fort Collins, before making an incredible 19-point comeback in Berkeley to claim victory over the ACC’s California Golden Bears. In fact, the Hawks entered Tuesday’s showdown in The Pit with quite the late-season momentum, having won 9 of their 10 previous games.
Meanwhile, the Lobos entered the quarterfinal round of the NIT after blowout wins over Sam Houston (Conference-USA) and George Washington (Atlantic-10), fueled by a Pit crowd that has led the NIT in overall attendance. The same Pit crowd (about 8,000+ strong, per Geoff Grammer of the Albuquerque Journal) made Tuesday night’s postseason home game seem like a mid-season weekend tilt – Loud, rowdy, and seemingly rising with every Lobo bucket. This prompted ESPN’s broadcast crew (not usually on the call for Mountain West action, as the conference primarily contracts with CBS and FOX for the regular season) to sarcastically quip about being unable to hear each other, comparing The Pit to the likes of Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke), among other iconic sports venues.
Notably, Tuesday’s Pit crowd included two former Lobos (both fan favorites) – Former Lobo guard Braden Appelhans (who spent this season at Drake), and program legend Donovan Dent (who spent this season at UCLA) – Two players behind New Mexico’s magical 2024-25 Mountain West regular-season title run (and New Mexico’s 2024 Mountain West Tournament title). The two were on hand to receive championship rings for the aforementioned regular-season title (see below), bringing The Pit to a standing ovation.
With such an environment, and with stakes well-known to both squads, the stage was set. The Lobos opened the game with a monster pace, putting star big Tomislav Buljan to work early, and forcing Saint Joseph’s towards excessive ball movement, resulting in a few empty possessions for SJU. Add a couple of smooth shots from sensational freshman Jake Hall, plus a series of quick layups from Luke Haupt and Deyton Albury (who returned to action after missing Sunday’s game with flu-like symptoms), and New Mexico opened to an early 17-11 lead over the Hawks. The two squads continued to trade blow-for-blow. By the 7:24 mark, New Mexico led 28-22. Then, the Hawks got hot, using a 17-4 run to quiet The Pit crowd and take a gritty seven-point edge.
A big reason for this run was Saint Joseph’s guard Derek Simpson – The senior seemed nearly unstoppable in the first half, sinking shots from deep, and making plays all over the court.
An Eric Olen timeout allowed New Mexico to reset and string together a 5-0 mini-run to close out the half, highlighted by a smooth three-ball from Tomislav Buljan – His second of the night, and notably, his third successful three-ball attempt in the NIT (of four shot attempts). Sure, it’s a small sample size, but the increase in successful shooting from behind the arc is a welcome sight to Lobo fans, and it would be a dangerous tool to add to Buljan’s already-impressive arsenal of skills.
And speaking of three-balls, fellow Lobo star Jake Hall had three on the night, using a three-point bucket to claim the Mountain West freshman scoring record for a season. This comes on the heels of an incredible freshman campaign for the Lobo guard, who has already broken several program records and claimed First-Team All-Mountain West honors.
Saint Joseph’s guard Dasear Haskins opened the second half with a quick layup, and it looked as though the Hawks were ready to make another run. But this was not to be. The Lobos responded with a timely 10-0 effort of their own, regaining control of the game’s pace and momentum, and bringing the Pit crowd to a roar. They never quite looked back. New Mexico outscored Saint Joseph’s 47-30 in the second half, ultimately outlasting the Hawks to claim an 84-69 victory and advance to the NIT Semifinals in Indianapolis.
Tomislav Buljan had a career night, finishing with 27 points (including those two three-balls mentioned earlier) and 11 rebounds (adding another double-double to his season’s statline). Jake Hall added 24 points for the Lobos, while Luke Haupt and Deyton Albury combined for an additional 19 points on the night.
For Saint Joseph’s, no player had a more impressive showing than Derek Simpson. Simpson made six three-point baskets en route to a 26-point, 5-rebound, and 4-assist effort. Dasear Haskins and Khaafiq Myers rounded out the trio of Hawks that saw double-figures for the evening. Haskins finished with 14 points (including two threes), while Myers nearly claimed a double-double (11 points, 8 rebounds). With the loss, Saint Joseph’s season comes to a close.
With the victory, New Mexico advances to Indianapolis, where they’ll take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (29-7) in the NIT Semifinals. The game will be played on Thursday, April 2nd, at the legendary Hinkle Fieldhouse (home of the Butler Bulldogs). Tip-time has yet to be confirmed.
The other NIT semifinal match-up will be decided tomorrow, with Dayton playing host to Illinois State (4 p.m. PT), and Auburn playing host to fellow Mountain West squad Nevada (6 p.m. PT). Both games will stream on ESPN2.
Couch Potato Sports Players of the Game:
- New Mexico: Tomislav Buljan (Forward, Fr.) – 27 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
- Saint Joseph’s: Derek Simpson (Guard, Sr.) – 26 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
Thank you for reading – You can find more content from our writers at the following:
- Couch Potato Sports: https://x.com/CouchPSports
- Dan: https://www.instagram.com/couchpotatosportscoverage/?hl=en
- Jay: https://x.com/LoboSauceJay
- Larry: https://x.com/LarryMunizCBB
Leave a Reply