Albuquerque
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UNM MEN'S BASKETBALL

Hall gets hot, Lobos rout Lopes

Visiting Grand Canyon was no match for Jake Hall, who had a game-high 22 points, Tuesday night at the Pit

UNM's Jake Hall, center, hits a shot over Grand Canyon's Caled Shaw, left, during the first half of their game at the Pit, Tuesday.
Geoff Grammer
Geoff Grammer Journal Staff Writer
Published Modified

The deepest part of that world famous hole in the ground in Arizona is said to be 6,000 feet.

Tuesday night, the basketball team named after that canyon wasn't able to fight its way out of that relatively famous 37-foot hole in southeast Albuquerque.

Freshman Jake Hall scored a game-high 22 points and the UNM Lobos wore down an increasingly frustrated Grand Canyon Lopes team in an 87-64 win in front of an announced Pit crowd of 12,512 on Tuesday night — the first meeting between the two schools since the visitors joined the Mountain West conference this season.

"I thought the crowd was awesome," said UNM coach Eric Olen. "We talked about it at halftime — this place wears people down, and we just wanted to keep playing the game."

UNM (14-3, 5-1 Mountain West) increased its home win streak to 21 in a row, tied for the fifth longest in the country, and overcame what through 30 minutes was about as physical a game as they've played this season.

Five Lobos scored in double figures and UNM outrebounded the larger Lopes, 38-29.

GCU (10-6, 3-2 MW) tried imposing its physicality on the Lobos throughout the night. By the second half, Lopes head coach Bryce Drew was growing increasingly agitated by a lack of calls going his team's way.

A Uriah Tenette buzzer-beater 3-pointer gave the Lobos a halftime lead of 38-33 after a tight first 20 minutes of play that featured just nine free throw attempts, combined. 

GCU's Brian Moore, Jr., tied the game at 40-40 with 18:47 left and the physical play  increased, though Grand Canyon coach Bryce Drew didn't feel the officiating was being distributed equally.

With 10:51 remaining in the game and his team down 59-49, he earned a technical foul from referee Kevin Brill. Seconds later, as he continued out on the court yelling at an official, Brill T-d him up a second time, earning Drew an ejection from the Pit and cascade of boos as he walked up the ramp to the locker room.

"I've been around basketball a lot my life, lots of levels, seen lots of different things. Been at GCU, this is my sixth year," Drew said on his postgame radio show. "I was proud of our guys. They fought. First 30 minutes of the second half, we fought, you know? We had a chance to take the lead in the second half. 

"We had a stretch there where we had some guys really go to the ground hard. Then I definitely wanted the first technical. The second one, I was very surprised, just to be flat honest, very surprised and shocked that I'd get a second like that without even having a chance to walk to the bench. And especially when I don't curse, I don't degrade anybody, I don't yell at the other team. It was really shocking."

The Journal requested an explanation from the officiating crew after the game since there was confusion about what the second technical foul was for — some in the arena thought Drew was getting in the face of a Lobo player, others, including some with UNM, said that was not the case. 

"It was a judgement call by the official and a technical foul was assessed," was the statement given the Journal from the league office, stating there was not a comment needed from the official since there was not a rule to interpret. 

Hall hit three of the four technical fouls shots, pushing UNM's lead to 62-49, and the rout was on from that point forward.

"They play physically. They're a very good defensive team," Olen said. "I felt like it was more just the consistency of our play — guarding the ball at the floor every possession, big guys running the floor every possession, just kind of a relentless mindset. From that standpoint, we feel like that can take a toll on people in here."

UNM outshot GCU 58.3% to 28.6% in the second half and 18-of-24 at the free throw line. 

With Lobo big man Tomislav Buljan in foul trouble throughout the game (he finished with five points, four rebound in 20 minutes), 7-foot-1 backup center JT Rock came off the bench and shined. 

"I thought he did a great job. He's continues to get better," Olen said. "He impacted us in a real positive way, tonight, blocked four shots, hit a couple 3s. ... I thought JT played great tonight, and it was important, given Tomislav's foul trouble."

Rock had 13 points and blocked four shots. Tenette added 14 off the bench and starting guards Deyton Albury and Luke Haupt added 11 points, apiece. 

UNM out-rebounded Grand Canyon 39-29. 

GCU was led by Jaden Henley's 17 points. 

UNM's Deyton Albury, left, makes a pass around Grand Canyon's Nana Owusu-Anane to teammate JT Rock for a dunk during the first half of their game, at the Pit, Tueday, January 12, 2026.
UNM's JT Rock, #35, gets his finger caught in the net guarding Grand Canyon's Caleb Shaw during the second half of their game, at the Pit, Tueday, January 12, 2026. UNM won the game 87-64.
UNM's Deyton Albury, center, dunks over Grand Canyon's Dusty Stromer, #2, during the second half of their game, at the Pit, Tueday, January 12, 2026. UNM won the game 87-64.
UNM's Uriah Tenette, left, battles for a loose ball against Grand Canyon's Brian Moore Jr. during the second half of their game, at the Pit, Tueday, January 12, 2026. UNM won the game 87-64.
Grand Canyon University's Brian Moore, Jr. left, and Caleb Shaw use cans of oxygen durig the first half of their game against UNM at the Pit, in Albuquerque, Tuesday, January 13, 2026. UNM won the game 87-64.
Grand Canyon University's head coach Bryce Drew, center, is ejected from the game during the second half of their game against UNM at the Pit, in Albuquerque, Tuesday, January 13, 2026. UNM won the game 87-64.
UNM's Jake Hall, center, hit a 2 point shot over Grand Canyon's Caled Shaw, left, during the first half of their game, at the Pit, Tueday, January 12, 2026.
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