Emptying the Notebook: Dent was brilliant, but did Nelly Junior Joseph just play his best game?

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Here are some extra notes, quotes, stats trends and other odds & ends I managed to empty out of the ol' notebook after Saturday's 75-73 UNM Lobo win at UNLV:

Did Nelly just play his best game?

The Mountain West Player of the Week award come Monday morning will likely be handed over to either Donovan Dent of Colorado State's Nique Clifford.

The Rams wing averaged 22.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.5 steals in two wins for his team while Dent, the Lobos' junior point guard, followed a dominant 20 point, nine assist, zero turnover, two steal and a block win with 34 points on a national network television win over UNLV.

Big scoring weeks like those from the two players currently ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the KenPom.com player rankings for the league are hard to ignore for Player of the Week honors.

But what if I told you Nelly Junior Joseph might have been more dominant in some ways than either of them, completely controlling the paint and setting the tone inside for the Lobos?

While his numbers, great and Player of the Week worthy most of the time, likely won't result this week in him landing the league's weekly honor, Junior Joseph had back-to-back, tone-setting double-doubles and it could be argued that Saturday at UNLV was the best game of his college career given all things considered (his stats, his impact on the outcome, it being road win in conference play to remain in first place, it coming against arguably the other best center in the Mountain West, etc.).

"I thought he was phenomenal," UNM coach Richard Pitino said of Junior Joseph's game. "Donovan, obviously big time box score, but the rebounding was absurd from Nelly. ... (He) had a big rebound on the missed free throw (to clinch the game), so he was terrific."

Junior Joseph on Saturday had 22 points, a career-high 18 rebounds and drew an absurd nine fouls. UNLV had absolutely no answer for his dominance at the rim, and that's with Jeremiah "Bear" Cherry being one of the best centers in the league and 7-footer Pape N'Diaye being as good a backup center as there is in the league.

In a two-point win, 10 of UNM's points came only after Junior Joseph grabbed one of his game-high seven offensive rebounds to extend the possession.

Nelly Junior Joseph, Saturday at UNLV:

• Points: 22

• Rebounds: 18

• Offensive rebounds: 7

• 2nd chance points responsible for: 10

• Fouls drawn: 9

• FTs made: 6

• Double-double: No. 10 on season, 53rd of career

Nelly Junior Joseph, Monday vs. Fresno State:

• Points: 10

• Rebounds: 15

• Offensive rebounds: 4

• 2nd chance points responsible for: 5

• Fouls drawn: 4

• FTs made: 4

• Double-double: No. 9 on season, 52nd of career

"Nelly had, what — 18 rebounds, 22 points? That's a huge game for Nelly," Dent told the Journal after the UNLV win. "It takes pressure off me, takes pressure off the guards, and we can just roll it in to Nelly, he's going to finish at the rim."

According to Stathead.com, here's the list of players who have had 22 points and 18 rebounds in a game vs. UNLV in the Mountain West era:

Nelly Junior Joseph, UNM

• 22 point

• 18 rebounds

• UNM 75, UNLV 73 (Jan. 25, 2025)

Nico Carvacho, Colorado State

• 28 points

• 20 rebounds

• UNLV 78, CSU 76 (Jan. 2, 2019)

Drew Gordon, UNM

• 27 points

• 20 rebounds

• UNM 65, UNLV 45 (Feb. 18, 2012)

Junior Joseph is also putting some distance between himself and the rest of the league now in terms of double-doubles.

Saturday was double-double No. 10 on the season.

Mountain West double-double leaders (overall)

• 10 — Nelly Junior Joseph, UNM

• 8 — Nique Clifford, Colorado State

• 6 — Jordan Nesbitt, Wyoming

• 5 — Elijah Price, Fresno State

• 3 — five players tied

Mountain West double-double leaders (MW games)

• 6 — Nelly Junior Joseph, UNM

• 3 — Nique Clifford, Colorado State

• 2 — Magoon Gwath, San Diego State

• 2 — Elijah Price, Fresno State

• 2 — Nick Davidson, Nevada

The gamer...

Here is the gamer I filed Saturday from the Thomas & Mack Center...

• Win City: Dent puts on show, Lobos pick up road victory at UNLV

More on that dirty 30 (or 34)...

The Donovan Dent Show in Las Vegas on Saturday, and his career Mountain West high 34 points on 13-of-21 FG (61.9%) and 6-of-6 FTs (100%), was the focus of my game story and plenty of social media chatter.

But don't worry, there's plenty of more Dent data to share here in ETN. Like...

Mountain West players with 30-point games:

3 — Donovan Dent, New Mexico

1 — five players tied

Of the eight games a Mountain West player has score 30 or more points this season, six have occurred in home games, one was in a neutral court game and one was in a road game. The two that weren't home game 30s?

• Dent's 34 at UNLV on Saturday

• Dent's 30 vs. Arizona State on Nov. 28 in Palm Springs, Calif.

Highest scoring games for MW players this season:

• 40 — Donovan Dent, New Mexico (Dec. 18, vs. VCU)

• 34 — Donovan Dent, New Mexico (Saturday at UNLV)

• 33 — Sadaidriene Hall, San Jose State (Dec. 14 vs. Cal Poly)

• 32 — Ian Martinez, Utah State (Nov. 18 vs. Montana)

• 31* — Nique Clifford, Colorado State (Nov. 8 vs. Tennessee State)

• 30 — Donovan Dent, New Mexico (Nov. 28 vs. Arizona State)

• 30 — Amar Augillard, Fresno State (Nov. 8 vs. Sacramento State)

• 30 — Ethan Taylor, Air Force (Nov. 4 vs. North Alabama)

* Overtime game

What about some more in-house numbers for the Lobos?

• Dent's 34 points was the most scored by a Lobo in a Mountain West road game since Jaelen House scored 42 at Air Force on Feb. 5, 2022.

• Dent's 34 points was his personal career best in a Mountain West game, besting the 31 he scored in the Pit vs. Boise State on Jan. 31, 2024.

• Dent's 18 points at halftime marked the most in a half for a Lobo since House scored 26 in the first half vs. New Mexico State on Dec. 2, 2023.

34 or more pts vs. UNLV (Mountain West games):

• 39 — Jimmer Fredette, BYU (Jan. 5, 2011)

• 37 — D.J. Fenner, Nevada (Feb. 8, 2017)

• 37*** — Jacob Van, Air Force (March 9, 2016)

• 37** — Marvelle Harris, Fresno State (Feb. 6, 2016)

• 37 — Brandon Heath, San Diego State (Jan. 15, 2005)

• 35 — Isaiah Stevens, Colorado State (Jan. 28, 2022)

• 34 — Donovan Dent, New Mexico (Saturday)

• 34* — Jaedon Ledee, San Diego State (March 14, 2024)

• 34 — Keena Young, BYU (March 10, 2007)

* Overtime game; ** TWO overtime game; *** THREE overtime game.

Here's what Dent told the Mountain West's Jesse Kurtz earlier in the week about the showdown with Dedan Thomas Jr., who had a brilliant game himself on Saturday with 18 points and seven assists:

"Playing players like that, you usually want to play your best and want to show you're the best on the court so it just brings out a competitive side you might not have even known you had," Dent said. "So it's always good to be in these types of matchups."

Dent and Thomas, the two best point guards in the Mountain West, each scored 20 in the last meeting between the two teams last season in the Pit.

Downside of Dent's day...

Look, 34 points is great. And Dent was an unstoppable scorer on Saturday in the Thomas & Mack Center. But there were a few drive and kick 3s missed by wide open teammates and a couple finishes off Dent passes that weren't converted.

The result? Dent had just two assists. And teammate Filip Borovicanin had a team-high three.

What does that mean?

Before Saturday, Dent was the only player in the country with at least 10 points and 4 assists in every game this season.

And until Saturday, Dent had led the Lobos in assists for the first 20 games of the season, breaking what is the second longest such streak in program history.

Courtesy of UNM's Steve Kirkland's game notes:

Lobo assist leader every game to start season

• 26 — Petie Gibson, 1970-71 season (that was the entire season)

• 20 — Donovan Dent, 2024-25 season

• 12 — Darrell McGee, 1988-89 season

• 11 — Donovan Dent, 2023-24 season

When I did point out there were some missed shots from his teammates on Saturday that could have helped keep his streaks alive, Dent deflected.

"I would say they hit them all year, they just weren't falling tonight. It happens," Dent said. "Sad, the streak ended, but it's alright. Great game from our team."

The make, then the miss...

As great as Dedan Thomas Jr. and Dent were for 39 and a half minutes on Saturday, their showing in the final 25 seconds weren't exactly moments for the highlight reel.

After Dent airballed an open 3-pointer with 25 seconds left, he fouled Thomas with 1.3 seconds remaining, giving the sophomore on his home court the chance to tie the game at the free throw line, down 74-72.

Here's the view from the rafters where media sit at UNLV games of what happened.

THE FOUL:

Then, after he made the first free throw, and after Richard Pitino called a timeout to make the sophomore think about it a bit ...

FREE THROW ATTEMPT NUMBER TWO:

And Thomas' response in his postgame presser, understandably, upset about the miss:

On the other hand, tip of the cap to Thomas for making what was one of the best makes of the season as the shot clock expired earlier in the game:

Through 10 games...

Aside from Saturday's win breaking a six-game skid against UNLV in Las Vegas (UNM's last win over the Rebels in the Thomas & Mack Center was in 2018, the first season Paul Weir was head coach), the Lobos also improved to 9-1 in Mountain West play.

Best 10-game conference starts for UNM:

10-0 — 1977-78 (WAC)

10-0 — 1944-45 (Border Conference)

9-1 — 2024-25 (Mountain West)

9-1 — 2013-14 (Mountain West)

9-1 — 1997-98 (WAC)

Close the book on January...

UNM's next game is next Saturday on Feb. 1. They went 6-1 in January, the second best January win percentage for the Lobos in the Mountain West era.

UNM's best January records in Mountain West era:

7-1 (.875) — 2013-14 season

6-1 (.857) — 2024-25 season

5-1 (.833) — 2012-13 season

6-2 (.750) — 2011-12 season

6-2 (.750) — 2009-10 season

Amzil hurt...

Mustapha Amzil has been limited in practice the past week as he's been dealing with plantar fasciitis, a condition that causes pain to the heel and bottom of the foot.

As a result, Amzil, the team's second leading scorer and rebounder checked out at the 9:06 mark of the second half on Saturday and wasn't able to return, one of the rare times he hasn't been in the game late in the second half this season.

Steve Kirkland stat of the night...

Here's the stat of the night from UNM hoops sports information director Steve Kirkland:

Nelly Junior Joseph this past week had 15 rebounds in a win over Fresno State and 18 rebounds in a win at UNLV.

The last Lobo to have back-to-back 15-rebound games:

• Carlton Bragg — 15 at Wyoming (Dec. 7, 2019); 17 vs. New Mexico State (Dec. 14, 2019)

The last Lobo to have back-to-back 15-rebound games in a Mountain West game:

• Drew Gordon — 17 at San Diego State (Feb. 15, 2012); 20 vs. UNLV (Feb. 18, 2012)

Lobo fans know that guy!

We interrupt this ETN about the current Lobos to bring this update on a former Lobo coach...

Ritchie McKay, UNM's five-season head coach from 2002-2007, on Saturday became the winningest coach in Liberty history with 260 wins.

They got away with it this time...

The Lobos continue to play with fire with their inability to hit many 3-pointers.

Coming off a game Monday in which they hit a season high (vs. DI teams) 13 3-pointers in the blowout home win over Fresno State, it's clear the Lobos can occasionally get hot from deep at times.

What is also clear, though, is the Lobos are more often very cold from deep — to the point they just stop taking them at all, which only allows the defense to pack it into the paint even more.

Saturday, UNLV outscored UNM 24-9 at the 3-point line (8-of-21 to 3-of-13). UNM was 3-of-8 from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes and 0-for-5 in the second half.

UNM's three made 3s ties a season low (also made just three in a win over VCU and a loss at San Jose State) and the 13 3-point attempts is the second lowest of the season (11 in the win vs. VCU).

Pitino has said it multiple times this season, he really, REALLY wants his players to shoot more 3-pointers because he sees what defenses are doing to his team without the threat of a 3-point shot, and it's something they won't always be able to overcome.

But, they did Saturday.

UNM's largest 3FG differentials this season:

• minus-24 points: 45-21 — UNM, 91, Nicholls State 84 (Nov. 4)

• minus-21 points: 30-9 — San Jose State 71, UNM 70 (Jan. 14)

• minus-21 points: 30-9 — UNM 78, VCU 71 (Dec. 18)

• minus-15 points: 24-9 — UNM 75, UNLV 73 (Saturday)

• minus-12 points: 42-30 — NMSU 89, UNM 83 (Dec. 7)

Painting the town (cherry) red...

The Lobos outscored UNLV 42-28 in the paint on Saturday.

That's the most points in the paint UNLV has allowed all season and the Rebels hadn't allowed more than 42 points in paint in 46 games.

Most pts in paint vs. UNLV past two seasons:

• 46 — by Saint Mary's in Phoenix (Dec. 16, 2023)

• 46 — by Florida State in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Nov. 20, 2023)

• 42 — by New Mexico in Las Vegas (Saturday)

• 42 — by Seton Hall in New Jersey (March 27)

• 42 — by New Mexico in Las Vegas (Jan. 9)

The minus-14 UNLV had in paint points is its second worst of the season.

Worst pts in paint differential vs. UNLV:

• minus-18 — Boise State 40, UNLV 22 (Jan. 7 in Boise)

• minus-14 — New Mexico 42, UNLV 28 (Saturday in Las Vegas)

• minus-12 — Memphis 36, UNLV 24 (Nov. 9 in Las Vegas)

Another good number...

The Lobos posted a program record 3.19 grade point average in the fall semester.

Happy trails...

The Lobos never trailed against Boise State on Jan. 17.

The Lobos never trailed against Fresno State on Monday.

The Lobos never trailed in the first half on Saturday.

For those scoring at home, that's a streak of 100 consecutive minutes without trailing.

Of course after I posted about that 100 minute streak on social media at halftime Saturday, it ended 31 seconds into the second half on a Bear Cherry layup.

40 minutes — never trailed vs. Boise State (Jan. 17)

40 minutes — never trailed vs. Fresno State (Jan. 20)

20 minutes — never trailed in 1st half

—

100 consecutive minutes of not trailing.

In all, the streak lasted 100 minutes, 31 seconds.

Attendance...

The announced attendance for Saturday's game between UNM and UNLV in the Thomas & Mack Center: 6,158

Life is tough on the road. Or is it?

Four Mountain West road teams won on Saturday, bringing the league's home/road record through 50 games to:

• Home team wins: 26

• Road team wins: 24

That 52.0% home win percentage through 50 games (there will be 110 regular season MW games) would be the lowest home win percentage in league history.

As of Saturday night, the Mountain West ranks 22nd out of 31 Division I leagues in home win .pct. That's continues a little bit of a downward trend in this particular statistic for a conference that prides itself in having such great home court advantages.

Thanks to an assist from KenPom.com for the home win percentage data.

Mountain West home win% (national rank):

• *2024-25: 52.0% (26-24) — 22nd (out of 31 conferences)

• 2023-24: 57.6% (57-42) — 20th

• 2022-23: 60.6% (60-39) — 16th

• 2021-22: 59.8% (58-39) — 12th

• 2020-21: 68.2% (58-27) — 1st

• 2019-20: 63.6% (63-36) — 13th

• 2018-19: 60.6% (60-39) — 12th

• 2017-18: 59.6% (59-40) — 17th

• 2016-17: 63.6% (63-36) — 6th

• 2015-16: 66.7% (66-33) — 4th

• 2014-15: 62.6% (62-37) — 10th

• 2013-14: 57.6% (57-42) — 21st

• 2012-13: 70.8% (51-21) — 2nd

• 2011-12: 69.6% (39-17) — 3rd

• 2010-11: 55.6% (40-32) — 30th

• 2009-10: 58.3% (42-30) — 24th

• 2008-09: 68.1% (49-23) — 2nd

• 2007-08: 63.9% (46-26) — 13th

• 2006-07: 70.8% (51-21) — 2nd

• 2005-06: 63.9% (46-26) — 7th

• 2004-05: 62.5% (35-21) — 15th

• 2003-04: 76.8% (43-23) — 1st

• 2002-03: 62.5% (35-21) — 17th

• 2001-02: 69.6% (39-17) — 2nd

• 2000-01: 71.4% (40-16) — 3rd

• 1999-00: 66.1% (37-19) — 8th

* Through 50 of 110 league games.

Meanwhile, in Antartica...

New Mexicans can't attend major sporting events OR hike on the Antarctic mainland without bringing their state flag.

Those are the rules.

While there were no fewer than 10 New Mexico state flags in the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday, a couple of Lobo fans who missed the game still knew the rules.

Did you hear? (or watch) ...

Episode 96 of the Talking Grammer podcast, a conversation with Lobo freshman forward Jovan Milicevic, dropped this past week. He's a great talker and has a fun story to tell.

You can watch the episode on the YouTube link below or get various other links for the audio version HERE (or, of course, just track it down where ever you listen to your podcasts).

Plus/minus...

Here are the plus/minus numbers for Saturday's game with minutes in parenthesis:

NEW MEXICO

+9 Tru Washington (30:17)

+8 Mustapha Amzil (21:19)

+4 Donovan Dent (37:00)

+4 Filip Borovicanin (31:53)

+3 Atiki Ally Atiki (3:52)

-1 Nelly Junior Joseph (36:08)

-1 Jovan Milicevic (7:55)

-4 C.J. Noland (21:55)

-5 Braden Appelhans (5:35)

-7 Kayde Dotson (4:06)

UNLV

+7 Pape N'Diaye (19:34)

+6 Jaden Henley (27:29)

+1 Brooklyn Hicks (22:22)

0 Jacob Bannarbie (1:16)

-1 Julian Rishwain (24:43)

-3 Jalen Hill (33:59)

-5 Dedan Thomas Jr. (39:13)

-7 Jailen Bedford (12:15)

-8 Jeremiah 'Bear' Cherry (19:09)

Line 'em up...

The UNM Lobos played 10 players and used 14 unique lineup combinations. The UNLV Runnin' Rebels played nine players and used 14 unique lineup combinations.

Here's a look at some of the Lobos lineup combinations, starting with the starters.

STARTING (AND BEST) LINEUP

• WHO: Donovan Dent, Tru Washington, Filip Borovicanin, Mustapha Amzil, Nelly Junior Joseph

• POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +9 (23-14)

• TIME ON COURT: 9:40

• NOTE: It's rare you see the Lobos play their starting five less than 10 minutes, but Amzil's foot injury was a big part of this. When together, the starting five was easily the best lineup combination of the game for UNM on Saturday, scoring .13561 points per possession and dishing out five of the team's 10 assists despite playing under 1/4 of the minutes.

WORST LINEUP

• WHO: Donovan Dent, Kayde Dotson, Braden Appelhans, Filip Borovicanin, Nelly Junior Joseph

• POINT DIFFERENTIAL: -5 (2-7)

• TIME ON COURT: 1:06

• NOTE: Fortunately for the Lobos, it wasn't long. It's rare you see 9 points scored in just 1:06 of play, but here we are. In just 66 seconds, this combination allowed UNLV to score 7 points (UNM did score 2 points).

AND HERE'S UNLV'S BEST

• WHO: Dedan Thomas, Brooklyn Hicks, Jalen Hill, Jaden Henley, Pape N'Diaye

• POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +8 (17-9)

• TIME ON COURT: 6:36

• NOTE: This was, by far, the best combination the Rebels ran out on the floor on Saturday. The Rebels starting five (Thomas, Hill, Henley, Julian Rishwain and Bear Cherry) kept it close as one might expect in a 2-point game, but were still outscored by 3 (UNM 20, UNLV 17) with the starters on the floor for 10 minutes, 18 seconds of the game.

VIDEO: Postgame with Pitino...

Here is the postgame interview I did with UNM Lobos coach Richard Pitino after Saturday's game:

VIDEO: Pregame from the Mack...

Here is the pregame video I did from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on Saturday morning:

Meanwhile, in Fresno ...

The Fresno State Bulldogs almost pulled off the upset of the day at home against Colorado State, but in the end, the Rams were just too much. And while the intrigue around the Mountain West has been the two teams at the top (UNM 9-1, Utah State 8-1) and the surprising struggles of Nevada (3-6) and to a far lesser extent Boise State (5-4) and San Diego State (6-3), all the Rams have done since that home loss to the Lobos on Dec. 28 is win six of seven and position themselves nicely in third place in the league at 7-2.

Around the Mountain...

It was the rare full slate on Saturday around the Mountain West, all five games in the same day with only Boise State having one of its two byes.

SATURDAY

• New Mexico 75, UNLV 73

• Utah State 87, Air Force 58

• Colorado State 69, Fresno State 64

• San Jose State 67, Wyoming 58

• San Diego State 69, Nevada 50

TUESDAY

• Fresno State at Wyoming, 5:30 p.m. PST/6:30 p.m. MST (TheMW)

• Air Force at Colorado State, 6 p.m. PST/7 p.m. MST (TheMW)

• San Jose State at San Diego State, 8 p.m. PST/9 p.m. MST (FS1)

WEDNESDAY

• Nevada at Boise State, 7 p.m. PST/8 p.m. MST (CBS Sports Network)

• UNLV at Utah State, 7 p.m. PST/8 p.m. MST (FS1)

SATURDAY (Feb. 1)

• Fresno State at Boise State, 1 p.m. PST/2 p.m. MST (TheMW)

• Air Force at San Jose State, 2 p.m. PST/3 p.m. MST (TheMW)

• Wyoming at San Diego State, 5 p.m. PST/6 p.m. MST (CBS Sports Network)

• New Mexico at Utah State, 6:30 p.m. PST/7:30 p.m. MST (FS1)

• UNLV at Nevada, 8 p.m. PST/9 p.m. MST (CBS Sports Network)

Mountain West standings...

Mountain West standings through Saturday:

9-1 New Mexico

8-1 Utah State

7-2 Colorado State

6-3 San Diego State

5-4 Boise State

5-4 UNLV

3-6 Nevada

3-6 San Jose State

3-6 Wyoming

1-8 Fresno State

0-9 Air Force

Home/Road, +/- standings...

A team gets +1 for a road win and -1 for a home loss.

+4 New Mexico

+4 Utah State

+3 Colorado State

+2 San Diego State

+1 Boise State

0 UNLV

-1 Wyoming

-2 Nevada

-2 San Jose State

-4 Fresno State

-5 Air Force

Stats and stats...

Here is the postgame stat sheet I posted Saturday: New Mexico 75, UNLV 73

And if you prefer the digital version, here you go: New Mexico 75, UNLV 73

Grammer's Guesses...

The Guesses went 3-2 on Saturday. I'm a sad 24-26 through 50 games.

My daughter's coin flip picks also went 3-2 on Saturday and she's now 32-18 through 50 games.

THIRTY TWO and EIGHTEEN!

And when I told her Saturday night the updated records, she, the FLIPPER OF A COIN, told me, "And you're supposed to be good at this?"

Up next...

For New Mexico: The Lobos have their first bye in the midweek slot of games and return to the court next Saturday at Utah State at 6:30 p.m. PST/7:30 p.m. MST in a game that will be broadcast on FS1.

For UNLV: The Runnin' Rebels play at Utah State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PST/8 p.m. MST in a game that will be broadcast on FS1.

Until next time...

Until next time, Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas...

Until next time (bonus pic)...

Not much of a bonus when it's a pic of me, but...

Lobo schedule/results...