New Mexico beats UNLV 81-67, earns top seed for Mountain West Conference Tournament

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Nelly Junior Joseph scored 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to help New Mexico defeat UNLV 81-67 on Friday night to close out the regular season in the Mountain West Conference with a first-place finish.

Joseph added three blocks for the top-seeded Lobos (25-6, 17-3), who earn a bye into the quarterfinals on Thursday. Donovan Dent scored 20 points and added six assists. Tru Washington scored 19.

Jalen Hill led the way for the Rebels (17-14, 11-9) with 16 points. Jeremiah Cherry and Jaden Henley both scored 14. UNLV is the No. 6 seed and opens against 11th-seeded Air Force on Wednesday.

New Mexico took the lead with 19:20 left in the first half and did not give it up. Joseph led his team in scoring with 18 points to help put the Lobos up 40-38 at the break. A 7-0 run in the second half turned a one-point deficit into a six-point lead for New Mexico. Washington led the way with a team-high 14 second-half points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.