Lobo men's basketball: Pit erupts as UNM mounts comeback vs. Alabama State

If they hadn’t really felt the emotional power of the Pit before, the new roster of UNM Lobo players sure felt it Wednesday night.

And it wasn’t always in their favor.

But in the end, some Pit magic, mixed with some Jake Hall 3-point shooting, allowed UNM to overcome its own horrific first half — and a lights-out opposing shooting performance — for a 93-87 win over visiting Alabama State in front of an announced crowd of 12,027.

“I think the crowd and the building deserve a lot of credit tonight,” said first-year Lobos coach Eric Olen. “I don’t know that we get to (this) result without them. Felt them for sure in the second half. The guys felt it. You could see their reaction when the ball’s going through and people are getting excited and we’re getting steals. Yeah, I thought they had a huge impact, and we needed every bit.”

UNM, a 19.5-point favorite, trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half, but improved to 5-2 on the season and 4-0 in the Pit.

But less than a week after an embarrassing first-half performance in a loss against Nebraska in the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Missouri, the Lobos on Wednesday night seemed to set a new low for underperforming in the opening 20 minutes.

As Nebraska did last Thursday, the Hornets (3-5) on Wednesday night hit nine first-half 3-pointers and the visitors took a 51-38 lead into the locker room at halftime after shooting 61.3% overall and 64.3% from 3-point range.

Guards Micah Simpson and Asjon Anderson each scored 15 in the first half and each hit a few tough shots, but not enough to overlook UNM’s defensive lapses.

“Certainly we were responsible for our share of that,” Olen said. “And credit to Anderson and Simpson for the way that they played. Specifically, Anderson — coming into the game (he) had not shot the ball well, and he certainly did tonight.

“I thought that when we were in the half court (defense), we were mostly dictating more of those tough shots. Thought our lack of ball security in the first half (eight first-half Lobo turnovers) really allowed them some things in transition.”

Olen took the defensive struggles of the first half on himself, saying “I didn’t feel like I put our guys in the best situation for a lot of that first half.”

Whatever the case, it carried over early into the second half, too. And Pit fans were more than restless.

By the time Lobo guard Deyton Albury missed an uncontested fast break layup with 17:07 left in the game and Anderson converted that into a 3-pointer at the other end for a 60-45 lead with 16:45 left in the game, the fans weren’t holding back their frustrations with the home team any longer.

The boo birds were out.

The lead was 11 (75-64) midway through the second half when Hall took over.

The freshman sharpshooter, who finished with 24 points and tied a UNM freshman record with seven made 3-pointers, scored nine in a 14-0 run that was capped by an Antonio Chol 3 with 7:33 left and the Lobos leading 78-75.

“It felt great, obviously, but stuff I expect. I expect every shot to go in, so,” said Hall, who hit six of his 3s after the break. “Finally, just getting in the rhythm, it felt nice. ... The basket definitely looked a little bigger.”

Anderson — who finished with a game-high 30 points — and the Hornets wouldn’t go away quietly, though. They scored the game’s next eight points for an 83-78 lead with 4:47 left.

UNM rattled off another big run — 11-0 — this time fully powered by a charge from the home crowd, to put the game away, and avoid the upset.

By game’s end, the Lobos scored 17 points off 17 Alabama State turnovers and benefitted from hitting 27-of-38 free throws.

Alabama State ended the game shooting 51.8%.

Albury had 18 points, five assists and hit 12-of-14 free throws for the Lobos, who also got 12 from Chol and 11 from Uriah Tenette.

Forward Tomislav Buljan left the game in the final minute with an ankle injury, but one Olen said he wouldn’t know much more about until Thursday. Buljan (five points, four assists, seven rebounds) was barely putting weight on his foot when helped off the court.

Box score: UNM 93, Alabama State 87

Men's basketball photos: Lobos secure victory over Alabama State