New Mexico vs. Air Force final score: Lobos vanquish the Falcons

The rock on the block, Tim Williams having his way inside to the tune of 16 points and 10 rebounds. This was truly a joint effort though with Elijah Brown and Anthony Mathis scoring 17 and 16 off the bench, respectively and Xavier Adams adding 14.

Brown continues to come off the bench in the first half and it seems to be watching. He provided yet another spark off the bench against Air Force, but more importantly, the move has allowed guys like Adams and Mathis to find their way onto the court in meaningful minutes. In short, New Mexico has found its bench and the result is that players are responding with a balanced attack.

Cullen Neal returned after missing the last two games with a concussion. Though he was plagued by foul trouble, he was still able to contribute with nine points and five assists, including a beautiful no-look dish on a drive to the hoop that resulted in an easy layup. That assist would've been the play of the game were it not for a second-half Sam Logwood dunk that put the crowd in a frenzy.

Air Force played New Mexico even during the first ten minutes of the first half, but they couldn't keep up with UNM's hot shooting. New Mexico shot a staggering 73% from the field in the first half to go with 75% from deep (6/8) which led to a  25-9 run to pull ahead for good and a 45-30 lead at half time.

The second half did not fare much better for Air Force despite holding the Lobos to 11 points in the first ten minutes. Yet during that time the Falcons also struggled to score. They managed to close the gap to 56-47, but UNM responded with a 13-0 run that put the game out of reach.

As is common in Lobo victories, New Mexico dominated their opponent on the glass (42-26) and in the paint (34-10).

Hayden Graham paced the Falcons, losers of seven straight, with 14 points. They will take on San Jose State on Saturday while UNM will battle the Boise State Broncos.