The Lobos have officially won their first NCAA tournament game in 13 years. Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
For the first time in more than a decade, the Lobos are into the second round of the NCAA tournament.
No. 10 New Mexico surged ahead late and stunned Kam Jones and No. 7 Marquette with a 75-66 win in their first-round matchup at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. It’s the team’s first win in the NCAA tournament in 13 years, and now has them on the cusp of reaching their first-ever Sweet 16.
While the Lobos led nearly the entire way in the battle, it wasn’t until a late run in the second half that finally sent them firmly ahead. They went on a long 10-0 run that lasted more than three minutes, powered by a pair of huge buckets from guard Donovan Dent. The Golden Eagles offense seemed to just run out of gas at that point, too. They managed just eight points in the final six minutes of the game, three of which came in garbage time, while the Lobos powered ahead to the win without much issue down the stretch.
Dent led the way for the Lobos with 23 points and six assists while shooting 7-of-17 from the field. Nelly Junior Joseph added 19 points and seven rebounds, and Tru Washington dropped 12 points. The Lobos shot just 5-of-14 from behind the arc as a team, though they out-rebounded Marquette by seven.
David Joplin led Marquette with 28 points behind six 3-pointers in the loss. Jones had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. It marked his 50th consecutive game with at least 10 points, which is the longest streak in Division-I men’s basketball. Jones and Joplin were the only two Marquette players to hit double figures.
This is now just the second first-round exit for the Golden Eagles under head coach Shaka Smart. While he’s made it to the tournament in all four of his seasons at the helm, Marquette reached the Sweet 16 last season in what was their deepest run since the Buzz Williams era in 2012.
The Lobos’ win added to what was a historic day for the Mountain West, which had 23 straight losses in the first round of the NCAA tournament as double-digit seeds. With the win, and Colorado State’s win over Memphis, the league has now won back-to-back games in that position.
The win was historic for head coach Richard Pitino, too. Pitino, who is in his fourth season with the program, joined his dad with wins in the tournament this spring after Rick Pitino led St. John’s out of the first round. They are now the first father-son duo to win in the tournament in the same year.
New Mexico will now take on either No. 2 Michigan State or No. 15 Bryant in the next round.
