Emptying the Notebook: In the Pit, Lobos are making a habit of overwhelming opponents early

Here are some extra notes, quotes, stats, videos, trends and other odds & ends I managed to empty out of the old reporter's notebook after Monday's 95-67 Lobos win over Fresno State in the Pit:

Now that's a good start ...

Friday, Richard Pitino suggested the first half against Boise State, including closing it out with a 23-2 run, might be the best half of basketball he's been a part of in his 13 seasons as a head coach.

Monday, as an encore, the Lobos coach watched his team jump out to a 16-0 and then a 25-4 lead on the Fresno State Bulldogs before cruising to a 28-point victory, 95-67 in the Pit.

And it all continues to be about the Lobos defense simply smothering the opposition, leading to fast break scoring.

"(The) mentality defensively has been great," Pitino said of his players. "They're eager to get stops and rebounds. They're eager to guard the 3-point line. They know when we get stops and rebounds, we can get out on the break, and we're really good at that."

In a different part of his postgame media session on Monday, Pitino noted his players have been genuinely embracing the realization that it's their defense that has sparked their best runs of offense.

"It’s amazing when you don’t talk about offense, you score 95 points," Pitino said.

On Monday, the Lobos started the game on a 16-0 run in under five minutes. By the 11:50 mark of the first half, the game seemed to already be decided as UNM led 25-4.

Here are some of the highlights of the first 8 minutes, 10 seconds of Monday's game for UNM:

• UNM started the game on a 16-0 run and led 25-4 with 11:50 left in the first half

• Fresno State hit 1-of-9 shots, an 11.1% clip (the Bulldogs would finish the game shooting 36.2%)

• Fresno State committed eight turnovers (the Bulldogs would finish the game with just 14)

• UNM scored 10 points off those turnovers (the Lobos would finish with 18 points off turnovers)

• UNM scored nine points on fast breaks (the Lobos would finish with 26 fast break points)

"They didn’t score until it was like 15-0 or something," Mustapha Amzil said. "I don’t know, we just played hard. We was ready to go. And they was kind of, I don’t know, they was kind of scared of the Pit, I think."

Three days prior, Boise State coach Leon Rice said this of the Lobos burying his team in the opening half with defense, including UNM closing out the first half on a 23-2 run to lead by 27 points at the break:

"There’s no way to sugar-coat it," Rice told Bronco Nation News after UNM's 84-65 win over Boise State. "They kind of punked us in the first half."

It's at least the third extended overwhelming run the Lobos have had in the first half of a league game this season.

• 21-0 first half run in 76-68 road win at Colorado State

• 23-2 to close out first half in 84-65 home win over Boise State

• 25-4 start to the first half in a 95-67 home win over Fresno State

The Lobos, who at 8-1 in Mountain West play sit two games in the win column above Utah State (6-1) for first place in the standings, have actually enjoyed at least one significant stretch of play in all nine conference games this season, usually having a very direct result in the outcome.

Best runs in each MW game:

• Dec. 4 vs. San Jose State (W, 83-77): 22-8 run to close game.

• Dec. 28 at Colorado State (W, 76-68): 21-0 run in first half changed game.

• Jan. 3 vs. Nevada (W, 82-81 in OT): No significant runs

• Jan. 7 at Wyoming (W, 61-53): 17-1 run to start second half after dreadful shooting first half.

• Jan. 11 vs. San Diego State (W, 62-48): 14-4 run to start the game and more.

• Jan. 14 at San Jose State (L, 71-70): 22-9 run to open game what would end up being a rough road loss.

• Friday vs. Boise State (W, 84-65): 23-2 run to close first half, and the game.

• Monday vs. Fresno State (W, 95-67: 16-0/25-4 runs to open the game.

Clearly, the Pit has been a big part of the Lobos' Mountain West success, but they have shown the ability to have big runs on the road, too (21-0 at Colorado State, 17-1 at Wyoming).

Doing that more consistently on the road could be the determining factor in the Lobos staying in the Mountain West title hunt through March, even though their toughest part of the schedule remains in front of them.

"I would say defense," Amzil said of the most important thing for the Lobos moving forward. "Defense travels. If we play hard and play play defense, that's something that's easier to do on the road than just making shots. There's days you don't make shots, but every day you can control your effort and how you play defense."

Now that's a good start, too ...

UNM improved to 8-1 in league play on Monday, matching the program's best nine-game start in the 26-year Mountain West era.

UNM's best nine-game starts in MW play:

• 8-1 — 2024-25 (second loss TBD)

• 8-1 — 2013-14 (second loss came in game 11 - 9-2)

—

• 7-2 — 2015-16

• 7-2 — 2012-13

• 7-2 — 2011-12

• 7-2 — 2009-10

The gamer...

Here is the gamer I filed Monday from the Pit press room:

• Another Pit blowout for the Lobos: UNM improves to 8-1 with win over Fresno State

Balanced scoring, again, for the win...

The Lobos have a star in Donovan Dent. Like, quietly having one of the true all-around special seasons ever for a Lobo kind of star.

But, naturally, they've still been their best when he's not a one-man show.

Look at these non-Dent stat lines from Monday (don't worry, Dent fans, he has a section of his own coming up):

• Mustapha Amzil: 15 points, 7 rebounds, 6-8 shooting (3-4 on 3s)

• Nelly Junior Joseph: 10 points, 15 rebounds, 9th double-double of season, 52nd double-double of career

• Tru Washington: 13 points, 3-5 3-point shooting, Lobos improve to 11-0 when he scores double figures

• Jovan Milicevic: 11 points off bench, 3-5 3-point shooting

• C.J. Noland: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists off bench

Attendance...

(I usually have an attendance section much lower in ETN, but moving it up in this one because of the next note).

The announced attendance for Monday's 3 p.m. Fresno State at UNM game in the Pit: 13,111

It's 3 p.m. on a Monday. Must be ... game time?

The Lobos love the exposure that comes with televised games. Truly, they do.

But that doesn't mean they wouldn't also like a few more traditional start times on regular days of the week, either.

In January alone, the Lobos, thanks to television partners dictating the day and start time of the four home games that were played in the Pit, the Lobos have had two Friday, 9 p.m. start times, one Saturday 11 a.m. start time and one Monday 3 p.m. start.

You know, the kind of consistency families and fans can count on to schedule their lives around.

Here's a look at January's Pit games — how they were scheduled and how they would have been scheduled without the Mountain West's TV package (which UNM is more than happy to accept the annual payment for):

Nevada game (Jan. 3)

• Actual: Friday, 9 p.m.

• w/o TV: Would have been Saturday, 7 p.m.

• UNM 82, Nevada 81 (OT)

• Attendance: 14,622

San Diego State game (Jan. 11)

• Actual: Saturday, 11 a.m.

• w/o TV: Would have been Saturday, 7 p.m.

• UNM 62, SDSU 48

• Attendance: 15,428

Boise State game (Jan. 17)

• Actual: Friday, 9 p.m.

• w/o TV: Would have been Saturday, 7 p.m.

• UNM 84, Boise State 65

• Attendance: 14,519

Fresno State game (Jan. 20)

• Actual: Monday, 3 p.m.

• w/o TV: Would have been Tuesday or Wednesday, 7 p.m.

• UNM 95, Fresno State 67

• Attendance: 13,111

Still, UNM leads the Mountain West and ranks 24th in the nation in average home attendance and that isn't lost on UNM Lobo coach Richard Pitino, who said he and his coaching staff do make it a point to remind the team not to take for granted what they are a part of.

"You can never accuse me of not appreciating our fans. But 18 to 22 year olds probably don't have the same perspective as older people. I tell them all the time, it is not like this everywhere," Pitino said Monday.

"It's not and that's why this job is really special. It really is. To have a bad crowd of over 13,000 — there's places that would kill for that. So we have a top 20 fan base, we have a top 20 home court. We're working on all the other things. That investment that the fans give us, it's huge. We talk about, everybody talks about it all the time. They want it to get rolling so bad, and there's so many factors that go into it. But the more that this community invests in us, they're going to get it back in return.

"It's just different with this fan base. I think it's because their grandparents grew up going there, their parents, just that family, community feel. Our players have to appreciate it, because you're not getting that at a lot of places."

To be clear, the challenging start times aren't changing anytime soon, either.

Of UNM's remaining five home games this season, here are the start times: 8:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 2 p.m., 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

But the Lobos don't shoot 3s...

The Lobos don't shoot, or make, a lot of 3-pointers.

That wasn't the case on Monday.

UNM was 13-of-30 from 3-point range, the most made 3s of the season vs. a Division I team.

Most made 3s for UNM (vs. DI team):

• 13 — Monday vs. Fresno State (13-30, 43.3%)

• 11 — Nov. 24 vs. Texas Southern (11-27, 40.7%)

• *10 — Dec. 7 vs. New Mexico State (10-32, 31.3%)

• 9 — Dec. 31 at Fresno State (9-23, 39.1%)

• 9 — Nov. 12 vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (9-23, 39.1%)

* = in a loss

Steve Kirkland stat of the night ...

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

Fresno State past 3 years in the Pit:

• 2025 — never led

• 2024 — never led

• 2023 — UNM took lead for good with 14:11 left in first half (Javonte Johnson jumper to go up 13-12)

That means the Bulldogs have not had a lead in the Pit in the last 114 minutes and 11 seconds.

Donovan's special season continues...

What can you say anymore. Donovan Dent is the best player in the Mountain West so far this season and had another Player of the Year type of stat lines on Monday in the win over Fresno State:

• Points: 20

• Assists: 9

• Turnovers: 0

• Steals: 2

• Blocks: 1

The guy did this on three consecutive Lobo possessions on Monday, getting to the lane and looking unstoppable when he does:

Dent No. 1 ...

Dent No. 2 ...

Dent No. 3 ...

Hey, where'd they go?

The Lobos played their first nine Mountain West games before seven Mountain West teams even played their eighth.

The busy Lobos will now have a bit of a break.

Between Monday's win over Fresno State, they get five days before playing at UNLV, then a week before their game at Utah State then four days before their Feb. 5 game back in the Pit vs. Colorado State.

So, for those scoring at home:

• As of Monday afternoon, UNM was the only team in the Mountain West to already play 9 games.

• Over the next 15 days (between Jan. 21 and Feb. 4), they play only twice, and the aren't back in the Pit until Feb. 5.

Those jerseys!

The Lobos wore their yellow, state flag-inspired “Statehood Jerseys” on Monday. UNM improves to 3-0 all-time wearing the special yellow jerseys, having also beaten Nevada (85-58) on Jan. 5, 2019, and Wyoming (77-60) on Jan. 6, 2024.

Moment of silence...

There was a pregame moment of silence on Monday night in remembrance of NAACP President Harold Bailey, a UNM graduate and former Lobo athlete.

Here is an article my newsroom colleagues Nakayla McClelland and Matt Reisen wrote last week:

• 'A driving force for change': Harold Bailey, NAACP president, dies at 78

Sweep success...

UNM swept Fresno State, beating the Bulldogs 103-89 in Fresno on Dec. 31 and 95-67 in the Pit on Monday.

It's the first sweep of Fresno State since 2013 (there were two seasons in there UNM won but only in a one-game season vs. the Bulldogs).

A little tennis bling...

Congratulations to the UNM Lobo women's tennis team, which was honored on the court during a first half timeout and presented with championship rings for winning the 2004 Mountain West Championship last Spring.

At UNM Athletics, you win a league title, you get a ring. This is a look at the rings the team was given on Monday.

Half the story...

This note appeared in my Around the Mountain column of Mountain West notes on Monday night.

UNM's 50-point second half was the seventh 50-point half through 41 games (82 halves) of Mountain West basketball this season.

Of the top 10 scoring halves in MW play, UNM's offense has the most (four).

Of the top 10 lowest scoring halves in MW play, UNM's defense has been responsible for the most (three).

The 10 highest scoring halves:

• 55 points by SDSU, 2nd half at Fresno State (Dec. 4)

• 53 by UNM, 1st half at Fresno State (Dec. 31)

• 53 by Fresno State, 2nd half vs. UNM (Dec. 31)

• 50 by UNM, 2nd half at Fresno State (Monday)

• 50 by UNM, 2nd half at Fresno State (Dec. 31)

• 50 by Boise State, 1st half vs. Wyoming (Jan. 14)

• 50 by Utah State, 2nd half vs. Fresno State (Jan. 4)

• 49 by Colorado State, 1st half vs. Fresno State (Jan. 7)

• 48 by UNM, 1st half vs. Boise State (Friday)

• 48 by UNLV, 1st half vs. Fresno State (Dec. 28)

The 10 lowest scoring halves:

• 14 points by Air Force, 2nd halve at San Diego State (Jan. 8)

• 15 by San Jose State, 1st halve vs. Colorado State (Dec. 31)

• 18 by UNM, 1st half at Wyoming (Jan. 7)

• 19 points, 1st half vs. Boise State (Dec. 31)

• 20 by San Diego State, 1st half at UNM (Jan. 11)

• 21 by Boise State, 1st half at UNM (Friday)

• 21 by Wyoming, 2nd half vs. UNM (Jan. 7)

• 21 by Wyoming, 1st half at Boise State (Jan. 14)

• 23 by San Diego State, 2nd half vs. Utah State (Dec. 28)

• 23 by San Diego State, 1st halve vs. UNLV (Saturday)

How can I not post these dunks?

Filip Borovicanin had 6 points and 3 rebounds on Monday. He also had this dunk...

And Ibrahima Sacko had four points and three rebounds in just 4:06 on the court. He also had this coast-to-coast highlight...

Plus/minus...

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

NEW MEXICO

+33 Tru Washington (21:35)

+32 Donovan Dent (32:10)

+26 Mustapha Amzil (20:27)

+20 Nelly Junior Joseph (25:20)

+13 Filip Borovicanin (18:58)

+7 Atiki Ally Atiki (10:34)

+5 Braden Appelhans (14:01)

+4 C.J. Noland (21:20)

+2 Jovan Milicevic (17:43)

+1 Quinton Webb (5:56)

+1 Ibrahima Sacko (4:06)

-4 Kayde Dotson (7:50)

FRESNO STATE

-2 Joshua Bonga (3:43)

-8 Brian Amuneke (23:22)

-10 Elijah Price (26:54)

-12 Jasir Tremble (18:39)

-13 Pierre Geneste Jr. (15:17)

-19 Mor Seck (13:24)

-20 Jalen Weaver (32:58)

-21 Zaon Collins (31:08)

-35 Alex Crawford (34:35)

Line 'em up...

The UNM Lobos played 12 players and used 14 unique lineup combinations. The Bulldogs played nine players and used 16 unique lineup combinations.

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

STARTING LINEUP

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

• POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +17 (30-13)

• TIME ON COURT: 11:56

• NOTE: The starting five blew this game out of the water in the first few minutes. UNM led 11-0 when it made its first substitutions of the game, and most of the damage on this scoring differential was done in that initial 3 minutes, 51 seconds (the substitution was at 16:09 first half). Maybe most impressive was that five of UNM's eight steals happened when the starting five was on the court together.

(Second) BEST LINEUP

• WHO: Donovan Dent, Tru Washington, Filip Borovicanin, Jovan Milicevic, Nelly Junior Joseph

• POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +8 (8-0)

• TIME ON COURT: 1:35

• NOTE: The best lineup was that starting five, but this +8 in just 1:35 is a pretty quick strike, albeit small sample size, group to look at. The only difference from the starting five? Freshman Jovan Milicevic was in for Mustapha Amzil.

WORST LINEUP

• WHO: Donovan Dent, C.J. Noland, Filip Borovicanin, Mustapha Amzil, Nelly Junior Joseph

• POINT DIFFERENTIAL: -6 (0-6)

• TIME ON COURT: 2:15

• NOTE: It was good to see a few shots finally fall in for C.J. Noland, who was in with the starters (sans Tru Washington) for this two minutes, 15 second period of the Lobos being outscored 6-0. Like I said, Noland has been in a rough spot shooting of late, but finishing with eight points, five rebounds and three assists was a good final statline, albeit coming with a poor 3-13 shooting clip.

VIDEO: Postgame with Pitino and Amzil...

Here is my postgame video with UNM coach Richard Pitino and forward Mustapha Amzil...

VIDEO: Pregame from the Pit...

Here was my pregame preview video from the Pit...

Photos!

Here is a link to a photo gallery from Monday's game by the Journal's Jessica Baca:

• UNM vs. Fresno State photos

Meanwhile, coming up in Logan...

Colleague Ken Sickenger previews Tuesday's Mountain West women's showdown in Logan, Utah, between the UNM Lobos and Utah State Aggies:

• UNM women set to visit fast-and-furious Utah State

Around the Mountain...

There was just the one game around the Mountain (West) on Monday with another coming on Tuesday and the other three coming on Wednesday.

MONDAY

• New Mexico 95, Fresno State 677

TUESDAY

• Wyoming at UNLV, 8 p.m. PT/9 p.m. MT (CBS Sports Network)

WEDNESDAY

• Boise State at Colorado State, 5 p.m. PT/6 p.m. MT (CBS Sports Network)

• Nevada at Utah State, 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT (FS1)

• San Diego State at Air Force, 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT (CBS Sports Network)

Mountain West standings...

Here are the Mountain West standings through Monday:

8-1 New Mexico

6-1 Utah State

5-2 Colorado State

5-2 UNLV

5-3 Boise State

4-3 San Diego State

3-4 Nevada

2-5 Wyoming

2-6 San Jose State

1-7 Fresno State

0-7 Air Force

MW home/road standings...

Teams get a +1 for a road win and a -1 for a home loss:

+3 New Mexico

+3 Utah State

+2 Colorado State

+2 UNLV

+1 Boise State

0 San Diego State

-1 Nevada

-2 Wyoming

-2 San Jose State

-3 Air Force

-3 Fresno State

Stats and stats...

Here is the postgame stat sheet I posted Monday evening: New Mexico 95, Fresno State 67

And if you prefer the digital version, here you go: New Mexico 95, Fresno State 67

Grammer's Guesses...

I beat the coin!

OK, so it was a one-game day, but the Guesses did go 1-0 and my daughter's coin flip picks went 0-1.

Season standings:

My daughter's coin: 27-14

Grammer's Guesses: 20-21

Just how good is my daughter's absurd coin flip hot streak?

• I'm 20-21. If you bet $100 on all 41 games I've picked, accounting for the 10% "juice" the sports books keep on wins, you'd be in the hole $281.80.

• My daughter's coin flip picks are 27-14. If you had bet $100 on all 41 games she predicted, you'd be up $1,054.57 right now.

Up next...

For New Mexico: The Lobos play at UNLV on Saturday.

For Fresno State: The Bulldogs host Colorado State on Saturday.

Lobo schedule/results...