In a game that the Lobos entered with a few question marks (Can they win on the road? Are they recovered from last week? Can they get back to playing like they did when we thought they could win the conference?), they walked off the court having made a statement, winning at Fresno by a 77-62 final score. They’re now 2-0 in the conference, including a road win against another team thought to be in the upper-tiers of the conference, and should be back in the conversation as a title contender.

Game Recap

It was easy to be unsure about this game, given that most of us were probably still a little bit shell-shocked from the team’s performance in Hawaii, but any fears started to melt away quickly in this one. About four minutes into the game, Cullen made a three pointer to put the Lobos up 12-6, which in itself isn’t that interesting. However, at that point, four separate Lobos had scored and the team hadn’t turned the ball over once. The ball was moving around, everyone was getting involved, and the team looked focused and hungry. It was a good indication that the “Good Lobos” were showing up to this one.

So, the Lobos stepped on the gas from the outset of this one and didn’t let off at all in the first half. When the teams went back to their locker rooms, the Lobos were up 44-27, Cullen had already dropped 20 points, and Fresno’s leading scorer had already picked up his third foul. It wasn’t a perfect half, as the team had 10 turnovers and Elijah was limited to five minutes because of foul trouble, but any complaints would come off as nitpicky. After all, they looked like the type of team who can win the conference, and I’m not going to complain about that.

The second half was a little bit sloppier, partially due to the increased pressure and partially due to the Lobos going into more of a stalling offense instead of attacking the same way they did in the first half. There was a lot more dribbling around, as they were trying to waste time, and I think that gets them a little lackadaisical. Learning to effectively do this things, dealing with pressure and wasting time, are part of the maturation process, so hopefully they’ll keep improving at them as the season goes on. They did well enough at both in this one, though, never letting their second-half lead dip below double-digits and coming out with a comfortable 77-62 win.

Players of the Game

1. Cullen Neal (14 points on the season): “Daddy’s Boy”, as the Fresno fans were chanting at him (out of respect I’m sure) when he at the free throw line, putting the finishing touches on his 26 point, 5 rebound, and 3 assist performance, played his best game in a while and was the best player on the court. He looked like he wasn’t trying to force too much in this game and was playing a lot looser than he had been recently, which obviously led to some great results. Cullen’s become a bit of the forgotten member of UNM’s Big Three, but last night was a good reminder that there was a reason he was thought of as a potential first-team all-MW candidate. More games like this one and he still will be.
2. Obij Ajet (10 points on the season): Maybe the mask was the issue. After all, ever since he was able to take it off, Big O has been a double-double machine, ending up with 10 points and 10 rebounds in this one. Now, to be fair, that’s only been two games, but he’s starting to look like the defensive presence, strong rebounder, and opportunistic scorer that we’ve hoped he would be.
3. Tim Williams (27 points on the season): Fresno was doing their best to keep Tim out of the game, which shows how good of a player he is that he still put up a 13 point, 9 rebound, 2 assist, and 2 block performance. He’s going to be a tough matchup for a lot of teams in this conference and I wouldn’t be surprised to see more teams scheme to minimize his impact. Unfortunately for them, that gives guys like Cullen and Elijah more of an opportunity to have a big game…

Scattered Thoughts

• One of the things I love about sports is how you can hear a story about how a team really managed to come together and bond thanks to a three-hour bus trip between Oakland and Fresno and it can come across as completely believable. This was the most cohesive that the team has looked in a while, with some of the best ball movement and unselfish play (for big stretches, at least) that we’ve seen all season. Maybe they should bus to Vegas next week.
• Tim Jacobs played 16 minutes in the second half after not seeing the court at all in the first. This came as a bit of a surprise, as Jordan Hunter was playing fairly well and seemed the natural choice to get in as an additional ball-handler. However, apparently Coach Neal saw some mistakes that Jordan made in the first half and made the decision to keep him on the bench to watch the second half. I have mixed feelings about that decision, as I personally think that Jordan is the better option on the court right now, but I do think that Noodles is thinking long term with him and is trying to develop him for later in the season and for the rest of his career here so he decided to use this game as a learning experience. He’s going to be a good one, I can tell, but if Noodles can help him become great, then all the better.
• Did anyone else think that it looked like someone had photoshopped shirt collars, jackets, and ties onto the Lobo players’ pictures for the broadcast? No, just me? Okay…

Up Next

The Lobos get a week off before they host Utah State. This should give them a chance to rest up, keep working on their new lineups and rotation, and get ready for a long stretch of conference games.