Lobos Defeat Utah Tech 100-60

Residents of Bernalillo County witnessed a decisive start to the university basketball season on Monday evening at University Arena. The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team defeated visiting Utah Tech 100-60 in front of an announced crowd of 10,856. The victory marked the first game of the season for the Lobos following an offseason that saw the addition of ten new players to the roster. The result solidified the team’s position as the preseason favorite in the Mountain West Conference.

The game served as the debut for the arena’s new official name, The Pit-Powered by Nusenda. Two hours before tipoff, administrators from UNM and Nusenda Credit Union unveiled new signage on the exterior of the building. The change reflects a recent NCAA measure that permits college teams to display up to two commercial logos on their uniforms. As part of this agreement, all winter and spring sports teams will wear a small Nusenda wordmark on the upper left chest of their uniforms for the duration of each team’s season. The men’s basketball jersey featured the patch for the first time during Monday’s game.

Jake Hall led the Lobos offense with a strong performance, contributing to a first half that remained closer than the final score suggested. Utah Tech Trailblazers fought back from an eight-point deficit to tie the game at 33 with a layup by Christian Gibson in the final two minutes of the first half. That basket led to five quick points for New Mexico to end the first half, setting the stage for a decisive second half. Hall scored 50% of the team’s points during the first 20 minutes, helping the team build momentum.

Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi, a 6-foot-7 forward from Sweden, made his Lobos debut in the starting lineup. He learned of his starting role a few days prior to the game and finished with 17 points, including 15 in the second half. He also recorded a team-high four 3-pointers. Fasasi missed three of his four first-half shot attempts but was 5-for-7 for the remainder of the game. He noted that he felt confident in his shooting after missing early attempts, stating that his coaches and teammates supported his decision to take open looks.

The Lobos outscored Utah Tech 67-27 in the final 21-plus minutes of play. Uriah Tenette contributed 19 points while Hudson Mayes added 14. Chris Howell, a fifth-year senior, provided a balanced performance off the bench. He played nearly 23 minutes, recording five points, seven rebounds, four assists, and a game-high five steals. His consistent presence on both ends of the floor helped maintain the team’s defensive pressure throughout the second half.

A notable sequence involving the Hall brothers provided a highlight for the home crowd. Federico Grani started the play by stealing a bad pass from Gibson. He passed the ball to Jake Hall, who had his younger brother, Dax, running parallel to him 15 feet to the left. Utah Tech guard Aris Rodriguez defended the play but managed to steal a chest pass from Jake Hall near the half-court line. Jake Hall acknowledged the error, explaining that he intended to give the ball up early for a lob pass, a technique they had practiced in warmups.

Dax Hall scored six points with four assists and no turnovers in his college debut. He made both of his shot attempts and two of three free throws. He committed no fouls while drawing three on his opponents. The team will remain at home for its next contest, which is scheduled for Saturday against Northern Arizona in The Pit.

The Mountain West Conference experienced mixed results on Opening Day. Eight conference teams played on Monday, while UNLV and Wyoming will play on Tuesday. UTEP lost to Northern Kentucky in the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon. Air Force suffered a large loss to Wright State, and UC Davis lost at home to North Alabama. The Lumberjacks from Northern Arizona open their season Tuesday at UNLV, which will be the final Mountain West team to play a game this week.