Early foul trouble with guard Devon Williams and center Obij Aget forced Neal to play some of the new faces in a 69-65 loss to the Eagles at the ESPN Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
Senior guard Hugh Greenwood was on fire early in the game as he had 11 points midway through the first half but struggled to score until late in the second half. He finished with a career-high of 24 points (8-16 FG, 6-7 FT) and three assists.
The Lobos could not stop the Eagles guard Olivier Hanlan late in the game. He had 13 of Boston College’s 19 points, and he finished the game with 20 points.
UNM trailed for the first time this season after not trailing in either of the first two games. They led for a total of 1:03, which came after Greenwood converted a traditional three-point play to put them up 6-2. UNM did not regain the lead for the rest of the game.
The Lobos had multiple 8-0 runs in the loss to the Eagles (2-1) but could not find a way to pull out the win towards the end. The closest they brought the game after that was at the 15:39 mark in the first half when they trailed 11-10.
This was the second meeting between these two teams. The first came in 2011 when the Lobos defeated the Eagles in the fifth-place game of the 76 Classic in Anaheim, California.
Junior guard J.J. N’Ganga had the best game of his early Lobo career as he finished with nine points (3-3 FG, 3-4 FT) and six rebounds, both of which were career highs for him.
Junior college transfer Jordan Goodman seemed to be more aggressive in Friday’s loss. He attempted four shots early in the game but connected on just one of them. He finished with four points and one rebound.
Turnovers hurt the Lobos as they committed a season-high 17 turnovers. UNM did force Boston College to commit 17 turnovers as well.
Sophomore guard Cullen Neal didn’t produce like he did in the first two games of the season where he averaged 24.5 points per game. He injured his ankle early in the second half when he came down on a Boston College defender’s foot after shooting a 3-pointer. Neal left the game and did not return. He finished the game with two points (0-4 FG), three assists and three turnovers.
Not having center Neal in the game could have been a key reason for the Lobos’ struggles throughout the second half. Neal has been a facilitator in the offense this year, which allowed Greenwood to thrive offensively in the first half.
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The Lobos (2-1) will face West Virginia on Friday night.
Kyle Tomasi is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @KyTo22.
Men’s basketball vs George Mason
Friday
5:00 p.m.
ESPN3.com
