It may not have been the best opponent the Lobos have faced, but Wednesday night's 107-49 thrashing of Western New Mexico was still enjoyable for any UNM fan.
The Lobos used a stingy defense that held the Mustangs to just 30 percent shooting from the floor and a well-rounded offensive effort in the victory.
In the first half, senior guard Ruben Douglas and freshman forward David Chiotti paced UNM. Douglas popped in 16 points and pulled down seven boards in the opening session. Meanwhile, Chiotti dominated the paint while torching WNMU for 20 points and seven rebounds in the first half. Chiotti's previous game-high in points was five against Wyoming. In fact, he came into the game with only 18 points all season.
"I think our confidence level has been improving every game." Chiotti said. "We're just a lot more confident and our team is playing really well."
At halftime, the Lobos led by a score of 52-29 and that lead would increase in the second half.
UNM came out energized after the break and quickly ran the Mustangs out of the gym. The Lobos used a 20-5 run to start the second period that all but sealed the game.
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Every UNM player scored at least four points on the night with the reserves playing much of the second half.
Sophomore forward Michael McCowan continued his improvement of late, posting career-high's in points and rebounds for the second straight game with eight and six respectively.
"My confidence is getting higher every game," McCowan said. "I'm just trying to get better and get ready for the Mountain West."
The Lobos had a scary moment in the final moments of the game when freshman guard Mark Walters went down hard after taking a charge with just 36.8 seconds to play in regulation. Walters would remain on the floor for several minutes and was finally assisted off the court by Chiotti and sophomore center Chad Bell.
Head coach Ritchie McKay would not elaborate on the injury after the game, saying only that Walters had gotten hit in the stomach.
McKay was pleased with his team's performance going into conference play this weekend.
"I think we're playing with confidence," he said. "We are energized by our crowd and obviously we have a good San Diego State team coming in this weekend and we need to have a stellar effort to have a chance to win."
For the game, UNM shot a blistering 58 percent from the field including 40 percent from beyond the 3-point line. Junior guard Javin Tindall had a career-high four 3-pointers. Douglas kept up his average of 25.7 points per game scoring 25.
Next, the Lobos take on San Diego State University at The Pit on Saturday night. The contest marks the first conference home game for UNM. Game time is scheduled for 7:07 p.m.
