New Mexico secures a clear win over No. 22 UCLA

Junior Nelly Joseph scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Donovan Dent added 17 points and eight assists and New Mexico never trailed No. 22 UCLA en route to a 72-64 win Friday in Henderson, Nevada .

The Lobos (2-0) built an 11-point lead at halftime and kept the Bruins at bay in the second half.

New Mexico’s defense overran UCLA and recorded 12 steals – five of which came from Tru Washington. The Bruins totaled 21 turnovers, which the Lobos turned into 21 points.

New Mexico had 24 turnovers, but UCLA was only able to convert them into 15 points. The Lobos also had a 17-10 advantage in fast break points and 36-24 in points in the paint.

The Lobos’ lead remained in double digits for most of the second half, growing to as many as 16 points at times. But after falling behind 66-50 with 7:12 left, the Bruins began to chip away at the deficit.

UCLA (1-1) went on a 9-2 run that lasted nearly three minutes. This stretch coincided with Dent going to the locker room after slipping awkwardly on the floor.

Dent returned to the finish line with his left leg badly taped.

With less than two minutes left, the Bruins had a chance to cut the deficit to six points. Tyler Bilodeau, who scored a game-high 23 points to go along with his 15 rebounds, missed an open 3-pointer.

That was UCLA’s last gasp as New Mexico held on for the win.

CJ Noland scored 13 points for the Lobos, eight of which came from perfect night shooting at the free throw line.

Bilodeau was UCLA’s only double-digit scorer. Trent Perry had eight points and Kobe Johnson and Skyy Clark had seven points each.

Three members of the Bruins’ corps of key returners from a season — Dylan Andrews, Sebastian Mack and Lazar Stefanovic — combined for just eight points.

–Field level media