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  • New Mexico Rolls Past Saint Joseph’s 84–69, Reaches First NIT Semifinal Since 1990

New Mexico Rolls Past Saint Joseph’s 84–69, Reaches First NIT Semifinal Since 1990

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Basketball

(BCSNN) — New Mexico is heading back to the NIT semifinals for the first time in 36 years, and it did so with the kind of performance that has defined its late‑season surge. Behind a career night from freshman forward Tomislav Buljan, the Lobos defeated Saint Joseph’s 84–69 on Tuesday at The Pit – Powered by Nusenda, extending their postseason run and closing their home schedule with authority.

Buljan delivered 27 points and 11 rebounds — his 17th double‑double of the season — while Jake Hall added 24 points and became the Mountain West’s all‑time leading freshman scorer. Luke Haupt chipped in 10 points and five assists as the Lobos (26–10) advanced to their third NIT semifinal and first since 1990.

New Mexico opened the game with a 7–0 run and held a narrow lead for much of the first half before Saint Joseph’s responded with a 14–2 surge to go up 39–32 late in the period. The Lobos answered with five straight to pull within 39–37 at halftime, with Buljan scoring 16 before the break.

UNM seized control early in the second half, ripping off a 10–0 run to retake the lead and stretching the margin to 58–49 with 12 minutes remaining. The run ballooned to 15–2 as the Lobos built a 66–51 advantage with nine minutes left. Saint Joseph’s (24–12) trimmed the deficit to eight with four minutes to play, but New Mexico responded with five straight points and never allowed the Hawks to get within single digits again.

The win capped a 17–3 home season for the Lobos and made them the first team since San Diego State in 2016 to reach the NIT semifinals with three victories by at least 15 points.

Hall’s 24 points pushed him to 585 on the season, breaking the Mountain West freshman scoring record previously held by UNLV’s Anthony Bennett. Buljan recorded his third 25‑and‑10 performance of the year, tied for the second‑most by a freshman nationally.

After the game, head coach Eric Olen credited both his team and the community.

“Our fans gave us a huge push in the second half,” Olen said. “And I want to thank everyone who made it possible for us to play at home tonight. It truly was a community effort.”

New Mexico will face Tulsa in the NIT semifinals on April 2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The game will air on ESPN.