Lobos win again as Mashburn, House lead the way

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Nov. 27—ALBUQUERQUE — The steady rise of the University of New Mexico men's basketball team continued with a 76-55 win at home over North Dakota State on Saturday night in The Pit. It was the team's second game in as many days in the ongoing Lobo Classic.

Four Lobos finished in double figures, led by Jamal Mashburn Jr.'s 19 points and another close call with a double-double for forward Josiah Allick. His 10 points and nine rebounds helped UNM dominate the game in the paint as it outscored the Bison 38-18 in the post.

The difference in the game, said Lobos coach Richard Pitino, was cutting down on turnovers and limiting North Dakota State's second-chance points. The Bison managed to keep the game close in the first half by forcing eight UNM miscues. The also made the most of those offensive rebounds.

"We built that lead was because we stopped giving up second-chance points," Pitino said. "It was a really good win. I told them at halftime you're going to have games like these where it's not always going to be perfect and you get frustrated with something. Just keep playing through it, stay the course. And they did that."

The Lobos pushed their lead to as many as 22 points in the second half despite another cold shooting night from guard Jaelen House. He did finish with 14 points and a game-high six assists.

House's night could be summed up in the span of just 10 seconds in the second half. He showed he has more to his game than just pouring in buckets when things are good.

With the Lobos up 13, he split a seam in the Bisons' defense and streaked into the lane all alone for an uncontested layup. He missed it. The ball clanged into dead spot between the back arc of the rim and the edge of the backboard below the square.

North Dakota State transitioned the other way with with Sam Hastreiter drifting into the corner at the far end of the court. He took a pass and rose up for a 3-point try. House blocked it into the third row to bring the fans to their feet — the kind of hustle play you might not expect from an all-conference player in a 17-point game this early in the season.

"He's in a little bit of a mental rut right now, and he worked his way through it," Pitino said. "I think part of those guys need to understand that we've got some guards that can play. If you're out of it I can get other guys in."

Morris Udeze had 12 points for the Lobos while Javonte Johnson had eight and K.J. Jenkins seven.

The Lobos' 5-0 start is their best since the 2012-13 team won its first 12 games under former coach Steve Alford. They'll try to make it a half dozen with Sunday's Lobo Classic finale against Northern Colorado.