Nebraska jumps on UNM, holds off second-half comeback for victory in Hall of Fame Classic

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — If you tuned out on the UNM Lobos sometime in the first 20 minutes of Thursday’s game when they were down by as many as 20 points or when their starting point guard was ejected for hitting an opposing player, then you only got half the story.

The Lobos lost, 84-72, to Nebraska on the first day of the Hall of Fame Classic in the T-Mobile Center.

But they also turned an embarrassing first half — and it was embarrassing — into a respectable showing.

“Nebraska’s really good team. They got off to a really good start offensively, we dug ourselves a little bit of a hole,” UNM coach Eric Olen said. “Appreciated the way our guys responded to make a run and make a little bit of a game there in second half. But ultimately, not quite enough to complete the comeback.”

UNM falls to 3-2 on the season while the Huskers (5-0) extend the nation’s longest winning streak to nine wins in a row, dating to last March when they won the inaugural College Basketball Crown postseason tournament.

The Huskers took a 43-25 lead into halftime. Then, the Lobos opened the second half on a 22-8 to cut that 18-point halftime deficit to four — 51-47 — with 12:31 left in the game.

As Olen said, it was too little too late, but it did save face for a team that left their fans — the ones in attendance silenced in Kansas City and the ones watching from afar and chiming in on social media with vitriol — a little shocked by what they were watching.

“As competitors, you know you never want to go out like that,” said Lobo freshman guard Jake Hall, who finished with a team-high 20 points, 14 of which came in the second half, following a 2-for-8 shooting first half. “We knew we were getting the right shots. We knew they’re gonna fall like they did in the second half and just come out and compete.”

But the hole the Lobos ended up in after the first half — by playing disjointed and undisciplined coupled with Nebraska hitting nine 3-pointers — was far too deep and UNM never got closer than four points.

The Lobos shot 32.1% in the first half and committed 10 turnovers while the Big Ten’s Cornhuskers came out on fire in the opening 20 minutes, hitting 9-of-19 3-pointers — the seventh of the half pushed Nebraska’s lead to 33-13 with 8:33 still left to play before the break.

Nebraska entered the game as one of Division I’s most 3-point-reliant teams, attempting just a hair under 50% of their shots from beyond the arc.

“We knew that they get volume from there, and our defense allows volume,” said Olen, whose defense is predicated on first stopping penetration in the paint, even at times at the expense of allowing space on the perimeter.

Nebraska took advantage of that space early, with six Huskers having hit at least one 3-pointer by the time of that early 33-13 lead.

“We always want to, regardless of opponent, protect the paint first,” Olen said. “(But) I think some of the rotations we could have done better, we could have got to a few more catch and shoots. They made a couple off the dribble, but a lot of them were comfortable catch-and-shoots that we needed to execute a little better in terms of our timing on the rotation, and maybe get them a little more contested.”

UNM missed its first six 3-point attempts but did hit 5-of-7 three-pointers to start the second half and finished 13-of-44 (29.5%). Those 44 attempts set a school record.

Three Lobos joined Hall in double-figure scoring. Antonio Chol added 12 points and seven rebounds, Tomislav Buljan had 11 points and seven rebounds and Uriah Tenette had 10 points and three steals off the bench.

Nebraska, which turned the ball over 18 times, was led by 21 points from Jamarques Lawrence and 20 points and eight rebounds from Braden Frager.

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg wasn’t happy with the turnovers, but he also wasn’t surprised.

“That’s a tricky defense that you don’t see very often,” Hoiberg said. “And they’ve got really good pieces. They fit with how Eric plays. They were really good at forcing turnovers last year (at UC San Diego), and obviously they’ve done a great job of that in the early portion of the season. So, you know, I think New Mexico got a really good one in Eric, and this team has got a lot of pieces. ...

“I think that’s going to be one of the top defenses in the country this year.”

Ejection

UNM starting point guard Deyton Albury was ejected with 1:38 left in the first half after hitting Nebraska’s Connor Essegian in the back of the head when Essegian was trying to track down a loose ball.

After the game, he apologized to fans for poorly representing his team and the city of Albuquerque with his actions with a lengthy post on his social media accounts.

His statement:

"Lobo Nation you deserve better than what I displayed tonight. Regardless of what led to my selfish decision, I put myself before the team during a time when I needed to demonstrate composure and leadership.

"My actions are not a reflection of our players, coaches or the UNM basketball program. I sincerely apologize to Coach Olen and the rest of the staff, my teammates, Lobo fans and supporters, especially the young kids who witnessed my foolish decision on a national TV stage.

"Representing UNM and the city of Albuquerque is a privilege not a right. I accept full responsibility for what happened. I will never let our team, fans and the city down like this again."

Albury finished with three points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.

As for what his punishment may be, Olen wasn’t sure when asked immediately after the game.

“I don’t have any information on that right now,” he said.

Friday

UNM will play Mississippi State in the consolation game beginning at 5 p.m. Friday. The championship game between Nebraska and Kansas State will follow.

Box score

FINAL Nebraska 84, New Mexico 72

UNM vs. Nebraska in Hall of Fame Classic: Photos