Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
ALBUQUERQUE – Realistically, no one probably expected Eastern New Mexico University to walk into The Pit and beat New Mexico.
Still, the Greyhounds had their moments early in Friday’s clash, taking advantage of cold Lobos shooting – they began the game 3-for-18 – to lead 13-6 with nearly seven minutes gone.
In the end, though, UNM simply had too much firepower, using a 20-0 run to take control just before halftime en route to an 87-54 victory.
Senior guard Jaelen House led five Lobos in double figures with 22 points while senior guard Jamal Mashburn Jr., in his first action since Nov. 22 due to injury, added 17. Meantime, 6-foot-10 senior center Nelly Junior Joseph of Nigeria posted the Lobos’ first first-half double-double since 2019 with 11 points and 15 rebounds, finishing with 13 points and a season-best 16 boards.
Senior guard/forward Jahcoree Ealy led ENMU with 11 points, while junior guard Tre’Von Love and 7-foot-3 freshman center Conrad Luczynski each notched 10 points. Sophomore center Jose Murillo finished with eight points and 12 rebounds for the Hounds.
New Mexico (12-1) recorded its 11th consecutive win in its final non-conference outing, while the game was an exhibition for ENMU and left its season record at 8-2.
The Hounds still led 17-14 midway through the half, but a 3-pointer by freshman guard Braden Appelhans tied it and it wasn’t long before the Lobos were in charge.
UNM went 7-for-10 from the floor to start the second half, building a 59-30 advantage with 14 minutes left. ENMU closed to 72-45 with seven minutes remaining after a 6-0 run before the Lobos eventually rebuilt their advantage to 36 points near the end.
ENMU finished at 34 percent from the floor, including 3-of-19 from distance, while the Lobos warmed up to 46 percent after going 18-of-35 in the second half. UNM forced 15 turnovers while committing just six and outscored the Hounds 17-2 in points off turnovers.
The attendance of 11,962 was the largest crowd at The Pit for a non-Division I opponent since a 2014 exhibition against Adams State drew 13,171 fans.
ENMU has 18 games left, all in Lone Star Conference play where the Hounds have gotten off to a 4-0 start. Their next outings are on Thursday night at Texas-Permian Basin and on Saturday at Angelo State.
