New Mexico

Lobos Record Win No. 20 with Dominant Performance at Air Force

Published

1 year ago

February 9, 2025

USAFA, Colo. – The New Mexico men’s basketball team reached the 20-win milestone for the third consecutive season with an 88-53 victory Saturday afternoon at Air Force. The Lobos (20-4, 12-1 MW) posted their most lopsided road win in Mountain West play since 2011-12 while the Falcons (3-21, 0-13) lost their 14th straight.

Donovan Dent had 25 points and six assists for the Lobos, while Nelly Junior Joseph had 14 points and a career-high 21 rebounds for his fifth straight double-double. Tru Washington scored 16 points, a new high for Mountain West games, while Filip Borovicanin added 10 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Falcons took advantage of a cold shooting start by the Lobos, leading 5-0 after four minutes of play. A 13-0 Lobo run gave them the lead, 15-8, with 10:45 left in the half before UNM held an 18-11 lead at the midway point. The lead grew to 24-14 with 5:15 left to play before five straight Falcon points cut the margin in half. A 6-0 run gave UNM a 32-21 lead with 1:30 left before taking a 34-24 lead into the break. Dent had nine points and five assists to lead the Lobos in the first half, while Joseph grabbed 14 first-half rebounds.

In the second half, the Falcons scored five straight to cut the lead in half over the first two minutes. UNM went on a 13-0 run to take a 49-31 lead with 14:30 to play before a 7-0 run pushed the margin to 56-34 with 12:00 left. The Lobos led 61-39 at the midway point of the half and took a 64-40 lead with 8:30 left. UNM’s 10-0 run made the lead 74-42 with 6:45 to go and UNM held a 78-48 lead with 4:45 to play. A late 7-0 run made it a 85-50 game with 2:35 left as the Lobos closed out the 35-point win.

LOBO NOTES
• It was the Lobos’ largest margin of victory in a Mountain West road game since 2011-12, an 82-41 win at Air Force
• UNM reached 20 wins in 24 games, their quickest to 20 wins since 2012-13 (23 games)
• The Lobos are 12-1 in the Mountain West for the first time ever and are 12-1 in conference play for the first time since 1977-78 in the WAC
• UNM had three runs of 10-0 or better, the most 10-0 runs in a game this season, and now have 13 10-0 runs in conference play
• Joseph’s 21 rebounds are the most by a Lobo since 2011 and the second-most ever in a Mountain West game (Drew Gordon – 23 vs. Utah in 2011)
• Joseph’s 14 rebounds in the first half are the most ever by a Lobo in the first half of a Mountain West game and was one shy of his career high (15 first-half rebounds vs. Eastern New Mexico last season)
• Joseph is the first Lobo to have five consecutive double-doubles since Alex Kirk had six straight in 2013-14

QUOTABLE
“I think when you watch our team right now, they are really having a lot of fun playing together. The defense was phenomenal to turn an Air Force team over 18 times. I think we are playing hard and the right way. The chemistry is great, and obviously when you win 20 games, that helps. This is a place that always brings a unique challenge, and I thought our guys were really good in their prep and terrific all around.” – Richard Pitino

UP NEXT
New Mexico returns home for a pair of games next week, hosting Wyoming on Wednesday (8 pm) and Utah State on Sunday (2 pm). The Utah State game is already sold out, but tickets are on sale for the other three remaining home games (Wyoming, Air Force, UNLV) at GoLobos.com/tickets.

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New Mexico

School Danger Zones: Data reveals alarming number of shootings near New Mexico schools

Published

11 hours ago

April 2, 2026

Press Room

School Danger Zones: Data reveals alarming number of shootings near New Mexico schools

On average, more than once a week, there is a shooting near a school in New Mexico, and nearly half the time, someone is killed.According to data obtained by the Get the Facts Data Team, there have been 833 shootings adjacent to New Mexico’s schools in the past ten years, resulting in 526 people killed.”When you first told me the numbers, I thought I heard you wrong,” said Darren White, former Bernalillo County sheriff and public safety director. “I was shocked that there are so many shootings close proximity to our schools,” White said that numerous state laws make penalties harsher for crimes occurring near schools, including firearm possession and drug dealing. “We put laws in place years ago because we recognize that schools should be sanctuaries, right?” White said.La Mesa Elementary in Albuquerque’s International District leads the list. In the past ten years, there have been 24 shootings within 500 yards of this school, resulting in 20 deaths. However, this school is not alone in being close to gunfire.A map from the data team shows that statewide, Missouri Avenue and Valley View Elementary Schools in Roswell had 11 and 8 shootings, respectively, while Las Montanas Charter and Lynn Middle Schools in Las Cruces both had 8 and 8 respectively.”If it’s being reported that it’s over 800 in this period of time, how many more are taking place that haven’t been reported that we didn’t know about?” White asked. “And so I would argue, like in many of our crime stats, that number is even higher. And, uh … It’s chilling, it really is.”These shooting have either occurred at or close to the shools.For instance, 16-year-old Andrew Burson was killed right next to the football field at West Mesa High School. Another incident involved a shooting right outside Sandia High School and Christ Lutheran School, which led to both institutions being locked down in the middle of the day.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —

On average, more than once a week, there is a shooting near a school in New Mexico, and nearly half the time, someone is killed.

According to data obtained by the Get the Facts Data Team, there have been 833 shootings adjacent to New Mexico’s schools in the past ten years, resulting in 526 people killed.

“When you first told me the numbers, I thought I heard you wrong,” said Darren White, former Bernalillo County sheriff and public safety director. “I was shocked that there are so many shootings close proximity to our schools,”

White said that numerous state laws make penalties harsher for crimes occurring near schools, including firearm possession and drug dealing.

“We put laws in place years ago because we recognize that schools should be sanctuaries, right?” White said.

La Mesa Elementary in Albuquerque’s International District leads the list. In the past ten years, there have been 24 shootings within 500 yards of this school, resulting in 20 deaths. However, this school is not alone in being close to gunfire.

A map from the data team shows that statewide, Missouri Avenue and Valley View Elementary Schools in Roswell had 11 and 8 shootings, respectively, while Las Montanas Charter and Lynn Middle Schools in Las Cruces both had 8 and 8 respectively.

“If it’s being reported that it’s over 800 in this period of time, how many more are taking place that haven’t been reported that we didn’t know about?” White asked. “And so I would argue, like in many of our crime stats, that number is even higher. And, uh … It’s chilling, it really is.”

These shooting have either occurred at or close to the shools.

For instance, 16-year-old Andrew Burson was killed right next to the football field at West Mesa High School.

Another incident involved a shooting right outside Sandia High School and Christ Lutheran School, which led to both institutions being locked down in the middle of the day.

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New Mexico

New Mexico vs. Tulsa Prediction Odds, Key Player to Watch for NIT Semifinal

Published

23 hours ago

April 2, 2026

Press Room

New Mexico vs. Tulsa Prediction Odds, Key Player to Watch for NIT Semifinal

It’s not just the NCAA Tournament that’s down to the final four teams, but the NIT also has just four teams remaining in its bracket. The semifinals are set to begin on Thursday night, with the first of two games being a showdown between New Mexico from the Mountain West and Tulsa from the American.

Let’s dive into the odds and my best bet for Thursday night’s matchup, with a berth in the NIT final on the line.

New Mexico vs. Tulsa Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

New Mexico -3.5 (-118)
Tulsa +3.5 (-104)

Moneyline

New Mexico -178
Tulsa +146

Total

OVER 161.5 (-110)
UNDER 161.5 (-110)

New Mexico vs. Tulsa How to Watch

Date: Thursday, April 2
Game Time: 7:00 pm ET
Venue: Hinkle Fieldhouse
How to Watch (TV): ESPN
New Mexico Record: 26-10
Tulsa Record: 29-7

New Mexico vs. Tulsa Betting Trends

Tulsa is 1-5 ATS in its last six games
The OVER is 8-3 in Tulsa’s last 11 games
Tulsa is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games as an underdog
New Mexico is 5-0-1 ATS in its last six games
The OVER is 13-7 in New Mexico’s last 20 games

New Mexico vs. Tulsa Key Player to Watch

David Green, F – Tulsa Golden Hurricanes

If Tulsa wants to pull off the upset and win this game, they need David Green to step up in a big way. He’s the team’s leading scorer, averaging 15.7 points per game, but he scored just five points in the NIT quarterfinal. Let’s see if he can bounce back with a strong performance tonight.

New Mexico vs. Tulsa Prediction and Pick

Tulsa has already beaten one Mountain West team in the NIT, taking down UNLV by a score of 77-66, and I think they can at least cover as underdogs against New Mexico.

The Golden Hurricanes are one of the best shooting teams in college basketball, ranking 25th in effective field goal percentage. Well above New Mexico, which comes in at 70th in that metric. Tulsa is also a solid team defensively, ranking 106th in defensive efficiency.

The Mountain West continues to be an overrated conference. Their regular season and tournament champion lost in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Colorado State and Wyoming both lost in the first round of the NIT, and UNLV fell in the second round to Tulsa.

I’m going to continue to follow my strategy of fading the Mountain West in postseason tournaments.

Pick: Tulsa +3.5 (-104) via FanDuel

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