COMMENTARY: Whoa Nelly! Lobos shooting struggles don’t stop NJJ from monster game

Photo: Erik Moulton/The Pit Press

Sure, the focus can be put on the 7-of-36 from the 3-point line or you can focus on the total points scored by the UNM men’s basketball in their season opener.  But UNM head men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino chose the latter.

Pitino said he is more critical of the defense than he is of the offense - at least in this game anyway. 

The Lobos edged the Nicholls Colonels, 91-84.

Nicholls hung with UNM thanks in part to sharpshooter Rob Brown III and his 23 points.  Brown, who made 80 three-pointers on 40.9 percent shooting last year, torched the nets against the Lobos going 6-of-12 from beyond the arc.

Backcourt mate, Ike Cornish, also chipped in four 3’s and finished with 14 total points.  As a team, Nicholls shot 15-37 from deep, which largely kept them in the game.

Pitino said he gave Nicholls full credit to Brown and Cornish, who made challenging shots all night.

“Nicholls made a lot of big shots,” Pitino said. “They’re pretty dynamic, their guards are. So we need to do a better job of guarding the three point line.” 

But that didn’t stop Pitino and UNM from turning up the heat in the second half. New Mexico came out after the half up five (48-43) to jump out to a 10-point lead off of a 9-0 run sparked by a Donovan Dent-to-Junior Joseph dunk that sent Lobo faithful into a frenzy.

The defensive on-ball pressure seemed to pick up for the Lobos in the second half, particularly with Nelly jumping ball screens and forcing guards into traps, and ultimately into turnovers.  UNM forced Nicholls into 17 turnovers and converted those into 23 points. 

Nicholls only forced eight UNM turnovers that led to a total of 6 points - a key difference in the in the final score.

“I’ve traditionally not hedged ball screens and been that aggressive, but Nelly doing it is a pretty fun thing to watch,” Pitino said. “Tru got a big steal off it so I like it.  I think Nelly is very very active and it shocks you a little bit when he comes out on those ball screens.  We just need the back-end guys to be a little bit better.”

UNM’s Nelly Junior Joseph and Donovan Dent trap Nicholls Trae English during both teams 2024-25 season opener on Monday in The Pit.

But Junior Joseph’s defense isn’t the story line here, it’s his 28-point double-double that fueled New Mexico to a 1-0 start.  Junior Joseph was a monster inside, shooting 9-of-15 and making 10-of-12 at the free throw line.  Sprinkle in 16 boards and an overall (+/-) of 11 and you have a dominant opening night stat line. 

Lobos outscored Nicholls 46-30 in the paint and the Colonels never found a solution in containing Junior Joseph, who also drew nine fouls.

Nicholls made a dedicated effort to stop Junior Joseph by switching to a match-up zone to prevent entry passes down low.  But UNM responded by loading the lineup with perimeter shooters. 

After Cornish made two free throws to cut the Lobo lead to four with nine minutes left, Braden Appelhans and Tru Washington hit two 3s that sprung a 8-0 Lobos run. 

The Colonels never got within four points after that UNM barrage.

Photo: Erik Moulton/The Pit Press

An announced attendance of 10,609 Lobo fans were eagerly waiting for something to cheer for most of the night up until Junior Jospeh’s dunk. 

The offensive efficiency was something of concern, shooting 38 percent from the field and only 19 percent from the 3-point line.

But, the silver-lining was that the overall output was there. Two other Lobos ended up with double-doubles - Dent finished his night with 15 points and 11 assists, and Mustapha Amzil with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

UP NEXT: UNM travels to Las Vegas on Friday to play UCLA on Friday, November 8th at 9 p.m. You can watch on CBS Sports Network or listen on the Lobo Radio Network.