BillyJack Davidson - The Daily Lobo

Sports

City of Albuquerque celebrates UNM men's basketball team

BillyJack Davidson | April 15

The City of Albuquerque hosted a celebration for the recently crowned champions of the Mountain West men’s basketball tournament this past Thursday, April 11. Mayor Tim Keller and the men’s basketball team came out to greet and spend time with the fans. Keller presented two trophies to the Lobos: a golden Lobo hand and the official winning basketball. Keller spoke about what the accomplishment meant, not only to the fans, but to the city itself.

New Mexico United vs. El Paso Locomotive FC

Sports

New Mexico leaves rivals in the wind

BillyJack Davidson | April 8

New Mexico United had their fifth game of the 2024 season, hosting the El Paso Locomotives, and took home a roller coaster 3-2 victory. The last 15 minutes of the game saw a nail biting close finish with both teams each scoring two goals. United came off a great victory against the Rising Phoenix FC, and will now go on with a two-win streak. Head Coach Eric Quill talked about what got his team through the game. “It was a roller coaster night. (We came) out of the gates hot (after) scoring that first goal and then, for some reason, we let them take over,” Quill said. “We regrouped at halftime and settled down, played more of our brand and then they saw some life with those two goals, 2-1 at 88. But we showed real character with our subs coming on, which is (an) outstanding mentality.”

Sports

Men’s basketball: Lobos coming home early

BillyJack Davidson | March 25

The champions of the Mountain West Tournament, the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to face off against the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Lobos were not able to take home a victory as the Tigers knocked them out early in the tournament with a dominant performance. While it was a disappointing outcome, Head Coach Richard Pitino talked about how much growth the men’s basketball program has had in the last three years, and how proud he is of the players this season.

Sports

Lobos take big win for final home game of the season

BillyJack Davidson | March 8

The University of New Mexico men's basketball team had their final home game of the regular season where they defeated the Fresno State Bulldogs on Wednesday, March 6. It was also senior night for four players who got time to shine on the court for their final game at The Pit. The Lobos took the game 79-58, ending with a 21-point lead. Head Coach Richard Pitino expressed how proud he was of his team on an emotional night. “Great way to send off the seniors,” Pitino said. “Defensively, we were terrific tonight – rebounded the ball extremely well, which only got better in the second half. I’m really proud of the guys. Sitting at 22-8 and 10-7.”

Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos split week with dueling game winners

BillyJack Davidson | February 26

The Lobo men's basketball team hosted the Colorado State Rams on Wednesday, Feb 21 and got a great 68-66 win thanks to some Donvon Dent (#2) heroics before a tough 78-77 loss on Sunday, Feb. 25 against the Air Force Academy Falcons. The Lobos would go onto play against the Air Force Falcons on Saturday, Feb. 24 where they heartbreakingly lost by one point. It was a hard-fought loss in The Pit as both teams kept the score close the entire game, but the Lobos couldn’t bring it home by the end. Head Coach Richard Pitino talked about just how important the Colorado State game was, not just for his team but for the Rams as well.

Sports

Isotopes manager Pedro Lopez shares hopes for 2024 Season

BillyJack Davidson | February 19

Pedro Lopez is at the helm once again as the manager for the Albuquerque Isotopes 2024 season. Before he went off for Spring Training in Arizona, Lopez hosted a brunch where he expressed gratitude and explained what he wanted to achieve in the coming season. The event took place on Feb. 17 at the clubhouse in Isotopes stadium where the guests were served a diner-style breakfast array of foods, all of which were made by the head chef of Isotopes park. During the meeting, Lopez talked about the new and upcoming prospects that the Isotopes have on their hands going into this season, with high aspirations for Bradley Zimmer and infield players.

Culture

Lunar New Year: Albuquerque’s version

BillyJack Davidson | February 16

Lunar New Year is a time of celebration throughout the world. Saturday, Feb. 10, the 50th annual Lunar New Year Celebration was held in Albuquerque’s International District at a martial arts school called the Chinese Culture Center. Ray Tokuda is the leader – or Sifu – of the Chinese Culture Center or Lin’s Martial Arts Academy and directed this year’s exhibition, which was filled with a variety of traditional practices. Lunar New Year is a time of celebration and cleansing with the traditional practice of cleaning the home and ridding it of evil spirits with the help of traditional lion dancing, which is a key part of the yearly celebration.

Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos miss out on taking their revenge on UNLV

BillyJack Davidson | February 12

The Lobo men’s basketball team hosted the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Runnin’ Rebels on Saturday, Feb. 10. They came into the match tied for the #1 team in the Mountain West Conference after defeating the Wyoming Cowboys. The Rebels were able to take down the Lobos for the second home loss of the season at 80-77. The Lobos had hoped to take their revenge on the Rebels after the Jan. 9 83-73 loss, but came up short.

Sports

Men's basketball: Broncos responsible for the first home loss

BillyJack Davidson | February 2

The Lobo men's basketball team hosted the Boise State Broncos on Wednesday, Jan. 31 and saw the end of their four-game winning streak. The Broncos won 86-78 and are the only team this season that have been able to take down the Lobos at home. The Lobos fell to 18-4 overall and 6-3 in conference play. They are in third place in the standings through Feb. 1. The game started off with the Lobos breaking away with the score in the first five minutes.

Sports

Men’s Basketball: Lobos bring home their fifth straight win

BillyJack Davidson | January 30

The University of New Mexico’s men’s basketball team played their seventh conference match of the season at The Pit against the Nevada Wolf Pack and took home a sound victory for their fifth win in a row. The Lobos put on a dominant performance with five players scoring double figures and closing the game out with a 34-point lead at 89-55. On Monday, Jan. 29, the team swept the weekly conference awards with Jaelen House (#10) earning conference player of the week and JT Toppin (#15) earning another “Freshman of the Week” award. The team also improved to the #19 place in the Associated Press’ poll and now stands 18-3 overall, 6-2 in conference play and 11-0 at home.