UNM Crushes UNLV by 28, Hands Rebels Worst Loss in Series History
UNM guard Deyton Albury dribbles the ball up the court in UNM’s 89-61 over UNLV. Photo courtesy of UNM Athletics.
The worst version of UNLV showed up in Las Vegas, and UNM made sure it paid, hammering the Runnin’ Rebels 89–61 at the Thomas & Mack Center to reach 17–4 overall and 8–2 in the Mountain West.
The 28 point victory for UNM was the largest win over UNLV in the 72 meetings between the two programs.
The outcome of the game was decided early. After UNLV’s Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn stuck a midrange jumper to make the score 16-12 with 12:15 in the first half, UNM forward Tomislav Buljan sparked a 13-2 run with an uncharacteristic two made 3-pointers. The Lobos lead soon ballooned to double-digits and UNM never looked back.
“Tomislav made a couple of threes and a fadeaway, and it felt like tonight was our night you know,” Eric Olen said during a post-game interview with KKOB radio.
Buljan finished the game with 18 points and 11 rebounds for his tenth double-double of the season.
With 89 points scored, there was plenty of offense to go around. UNLV’s defense applied aggressive ball pressure, but stuck to Jake Hall and UNM’s permiter shooters. This allowed UNM’s guards to use the dribble to get downhill towards the rim, and UNM finished the game scoring 44 points in the paint.
“We’re showing the guys on film where they’re a little more connected to shooters, they try to limit 3-point attempts, so we know that means a little more space to drive.”
“I thought Tomislav and JT (Rock) did a good job of setting physical screens and getting the ball loose. If we can get the ball loose and you’re gonna stay attached, then you know it could get difficult to keep us out of the paint.”
Outside of Buljan, the Lobos had three other double-figure scorers in Jake Hall with 16 points, Uriah Tenette with 15, and Deyton Albury finishing with 11.
One of the more impressive statistics of the night was UNM’s 21 assists on 33 made field goals, which was a season high for UNM against D-1 competition. Luke Haupt led the team with six assists, followed by Albury’s five and Tenette’s four.
The Lobos dribble-drive opened up more 3-point shooting in the second half. UNM finished the game 10-of-24 (41%) and buried six 3-pointers in the second period. UNM has now had four straight games with double digit 3-pointers, which is the longest streak with double-digit threes since the 2018-19 season.
UNM’s defense set the tone early, forcing 11 first half UNLV turnovers and never letting them establish any rhythm offensively. The Runnin’ Rebels were looking for back cuts against UNM’s aggressive defense, but the Lobos were ready and forced several deflections.
“I thought guys did a good job of being conscious of their cutting,” Olen said. “We see that a lot because of the way we play, and I think that’s something we’re continuting to improve at… They tried to fit a couple of those into tight windows. Those became turnovers…”
UNLV finished the game shooting 37% from the field, and did not have one player score in double figures. Gibbs-Lawhorn was in foul trouble for most of the game and finished with eight points on 3-of-11 shooting before fouling out.
UNLV’s Tyrin Jones exited the game with 18:33 left with an injury and did not return. “Tyrin Jones, obviously first play of the game, he hurt his shoulder. The very first play of the game we ran a play to get him at the post, and for whatever happened, he felt he heard it pop..” UNLV coach Josh Pasnter said. “Obviously him being out hurts us because he’s a key guy.”
Jones may have had impact, but the way UNLV turned the ball over and allowed UNM to get to the rim at will, it’s unlikely he would moved the meter in the other direction. UNM dominated this game from the opening tip, and UNLV’s undisciplined style of play proved to be a terrible match for UNM on a night where it was firing on all cylinders.
UNM will be on the road again Saturday when it takes on San Jose State at 8 p.m. Mountain time.
