“With our roster and our team, when we play good defense, the shots are always going to fall.”
A week after allowing 89 points to Oklahoma State a week ago, UNM men’s basketball head coach Eric Olen challenged his team to make a statement on the defensive end.
The Lobos answered.
In The Pit (Powered by Nusenda), UNM turned up the intensity in its 92-64 exhibition win over Washington State, using active defense, physicality and relentless ball pressure to run the Cougars out of the gym early.
After a tight first 4-minutes of the first half that saw UNM leading 14-11 at the first media timeout, UNM’s defense clamped down on WSU. The Lobos went on a 13-3 run to build a double-digit lead that they would never relinquish.
UNM’s defensive intensity carried through both halves, turning the Lobos into the “Showtime” version of themselves as they converted 17 Washington State turnovers into 23 points.
“We did a great job defensively in the first half, especially when we went on that run,” forward Imran Suljanovic said who finished with 12 points and two steals. “With our roster and our team, when we play good defense, the shots are always going to fall.”
The Lobos defensive effort was not just getting live ball turnovers and then running the floor in transition.
UNM held WSU to an abysmal 35% shooting (21 of 59) while also taking away WSU’s ability to feed the post with a help-side defender and an aggressive double team.
“They really pound the ball inside,” Olen said. “We bring help to that pretty often… That’s something we’ve been struggling with. (It) happened to us a couple times at Oklahoma State, (and it) happened to us a couple times in practice where we bring that help and they split it or we foul them. I thought we did a nice job of controlling that today and that led to some of the turnovers we were able to get to on the ball.”
The Lobos only gave up 12 points in the paint against WSU compared to 40 they gave up against Oklahoma State.
“That’s a big thing for us is being able to control the paint that way,” Olen said. “I mean 12 paint points for Washington State whose a big physical team and they really pound it inside. That’s a terrific number.”
Offense Clicking Again
The Lobos offense picked up right where they left off scoring 92 points, though UNM left some points on the board with 10 missed free throws and nine missed layups/dunks at the rim.
While part of the offensive onslaught was easy transition baskets fueled by their defense, UNM finished the game with 23 assists on 33 made field goals.
The Lobos at times experimented with 2-guard lineup of Uriah Tenette and Dax Hall on the floor together which created dribble penetration that led to easy baskets.
Dax Hall dribbles the ball up court against Washington State on Oct. 18. Hall finished with six points, 3 assists and no turnovers. Photo taken by Andres Chavez, 101.7 The Team.
“They’re important for us,” Olen said. “I think they’re hard guys to keep out of the paint, especially when we play them together.”
Tenette finished with 14 points and five assists to only one turnover. He provided early offense for UNM that really set the tone for the rest of the team.
“Uriah kinda got it going early,” Olen said. “I think he had eight or 10 quick ones and then you know didn’t really force. I think that’s one of the things that really makes him special is his ability to go and score when you need it but get other people involved…”
UNM played 11 guys, and 10 of 11 players scored from the field. Jake Hall led all scorers with 22 points. Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi was UNM’s fourth double figure scorer and finished with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the 3-point line.
The Lobos are back in action in the Pit (Powered by Nusenda) next Sunday for their final exhibition game against Arizona State.
After allowing 89 points to Oklahoma State, New Mexico responded with a dominant defensive performance in a 92-64 exhibition win over Washington State. The Lobos held the Cougars to 35% shooting, limited them to 12 points in the paint and forced 17 turnovers that led to 23 points. UNM’s defense fueled its transition offense, while Uriah Tenette, Jake Hall and Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi led a balanced scoring attack as 10 Lobos scored from the field.