The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team came away with a commanding victory against the Fresno State Bulldogs on Monday, Jan. 20, winning 95-67. It was all Lobos from start to finish. UNM came ready to play, jumped out to a 16-0 start and never relinquished the lead.
The Lobos were able to stifle Fresno’s fast pace and didn’t allow a bucket for the first five minutes of the contest. The Bulldogs played too fast for their own good, leading to careless turnovers and missed shots early on.
As expected, Donovan Dent was the one to lead the Lobos to victory. He finished with 20 points, nine assists and four rebounds.
“This is year three for him, and it's great to see the maturation,” Head Coach Richard Pitino said of Dent. “I thought he played phenomenal today.”
Dent was his usual self, dishing out assist after assist. Whether it was a lob pass to forward Mustapha Amzil, a no-look drop-off to Nelly Junior Joseph or a cross-court skip pass, Dent found his teammates all game.
The Bulldogs decided to play zone defense the whole time. However, the Lobos were able to pick it apart.
“It took us a couple minutes to figure it out, but that's just basketball,” Amzil said.
The Lobos cleaned the glass, grabbing 19 more rebounds than the Bulldogs. 15 of those rebounds came from Junior Joseph, who also had 10 points — giving him his ninth double-double of the season.
The Lobos were active from beyond the arc, shooting 30 3-point attempts and sinking 13 of them for an effective 43.3%.
The Bulldogs’ offense, however, was ice-cold from behind the arc. They shot only 20% from 3, making five total on the night.
“The commitment level to improving on the defensive side has been what we’ve done over the break,” Pitino said.
The only category the Lobos could have improved in was turnovers. They finished the day with 13 turnovers, five of which came in quick succession midway through the first half.
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“If there's one thing I'm going to look at and be frustrated with, it was that,” Pitino said in reference to the turnovers.
While the bench did not contribute much in the first half, it was essential in putting the game away at the end. The bench scored 29 points in the second half.
“Having that kind of success on the court — it’s big for team chemistry and it makes everybody happy,” Amzil said.
Jovan Milicevic led the team off the bench with 11 points and going 3-5 from 3. His shooting was able to knock out the Bulldogs and ice the game.
Next, the Lobos will take a road trip to Las Vegas on Saturday, Jan. 25, where they will face the Running Rebels. The Lobos hope to keep their No. 1 spot in the Mountain West conference.
Jaden McKelvey-Francis is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
