Lobos Wear Down Spartans to Reach Semifinals
Photo: Erik Moulton/The Pit Press
You can only drive so many miles before you run out of gas.
UNM men’s basketball wore down the San Jose State over the course of the second half, and defeated the Spartans 93 to 77 to advance to the Mountain West semi-final.
San Jose State expended a lot of energy in its 86-76 win over Boise State in the opening round on Wednesday. Three starters including San Jose State’s top scorers Colby Garland and Jermaine Washington played 37 minutes or more and were asked to play heavy minutes and carry responsibilities on Thursday night against UNM.
Early in the first half, San Jose State looked like it still had plenty left in the tank. San Jose State played Garland looked unstoppable in the pick and roll, and the Spartans started 5-of-8 from the 3-point line to take a 31-29 lead.
But the Spartans started to cool off, and missed their last five 3-pointers before UNM closed the half with 43-36.
UNM turned up the defensive pressure in the second half. Garland and Washington combined for only 13 second half points.
The Lobos were brilliant offensively with four players in double-figures, led by Tomislav Buljan’s 25 points and 14 rebounds. The Lobos outscored SJSU 56-24 in the paint.
Jake Hall’s hot 3-point shooting helped UNM create separation in the second half. Hall finished with 19 points on 5 of 6 shooting.
The Lobos will take on San Diego State in the Mountain West Conference tournament semi-final at 9:00 pm PST.
Photo: Erik Moulton/The Pit Press
