The Lobos defeated Valparaiso 63-46 in Valparaiso, Indiana, behind a stingy defense from the opening tip. This was the first true road win of the season for UNM.
UNM (5-3) held Valparaiso to a mere 30.2 percent from the floor (16 of 53) and 13.6 percent from 3-point range (3 of 22). This was the lowest field goal percentage allowed by the Lobos so far this season and the lowest by the Crusaders since Jan. 22, 2000.
“Coaches are creatures of habit. They ran a lot of the same things that they did back then,” head coach Craig Neal said in a release. “I was able to take some things from that, by watching the old tape, and it helped us out.”
Though the defense was the main reason behind the win, the Lobo offense seemed to be firing on all cylinders too. They shot a scorching 52.3 percent from the floor (23 of 44) and 33.3 percent from behind the arc (3 of 9).
Senior guard Deshawn Delaney’s career-high 22-point game against New Mexico State wasn’t a fluke. He followed up that Wednesday performance with a game-high 17 points, shooting 6 of 8 from the floor.
This was Delaney’s sixth double-digit scoring game in eight games thus far this season. Last year, he had six games in which he scored 10 points or more.
Sophomore center Obij Aget came out aggressively in the first half and had 10 points to lead the Lobos into the locker room with a 30-20 advantage at the half. He finished with 10 points in only 21 minutes of action. This was the first time Aget has scored 10 or more points in a single half in his career.
Delaney and Aget were among four Lobos to hit double-digit points in Saturday’s win. Redshirt sophomore forward Devon Williams and senior guard Hugh Greenwood each chipped in 10 points.
Rebounds came easy as the Lobos forced 38 missed Valparaiso shots. Five players had five or more rebounds in the contest with freshman forward Sam Logwood, Delaney and Williams each having six rebounds.
Every Lobo who stepped onto the court scored at least one point in the win. Junior guard Tim Jacobs, coming off the best game of his early Lobo career, scored six points, added five rebounds and tallied two assists to his stat line.
UNM did not allow a single double-digit scorer on Saturday. The closest player to that mark for the Crusaders (8-2) was Alec Peters, who scored nine points. He entered Saturday’s contest averaging 18.4 points per game.
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“I think our guys are learning as they go,” Neal said. “You like to see them grow, which they did from the last game. I thought we were better tonight.”
The Lobos were again without sophomore guard Cullen Neal (ankle injury), junior guard Arthur Edwards (hand injury) and junior forward Jordan Goodman (concussion). There is no definite return date for any of them.
The Lobos will return to the WisePies Arena Dec. 13 to host the University of Louisiana-Monroe. This will be their first of two home games before traveling down south to play the second game of the Rio Grande Rivalry against New Mexico State Dec.20.
Kyle Tomasi is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @KyTo22.
