ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Interstat) — Tomislav Buljan scored 25 points and New Mexico used a dominant second half to pull away from Wyoming for a 78-58 victory in a Mountain West Conference men’s basketball game Saturday night at The Pit.

A crowd of 13,763 watched the Lobos improve to 11-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play, while the Cowboys fell to 10-4 and 1-1.

The game turned decisively in the opening minutes of the second half. Leading 34-31 at halftime, New Mexico erupted with a 13-2 run to start the final period, effectively putting the game out of reach. The surge was fueled by defensive intensity, as the Lobos forced three Wyoming turnovers in the first four minutes, converting them into easy baskets.

Buljan, a 6-foot-9 junior from Split, Croatia, was the catalyst throughout. He shot 11 of 14 from the field, added two blocks and controlled the interior, often scoring on putbacks and dunks. His performance came after a 16-point effort in a loss at Boise State earlier in the week.

Wyoming, which entered the game with a four-game winning streak, had no answer for New Mexico’s increased physicality after halftime. The Lobos outscored the Cowboys 44-27 in the second half, shooting 48.5% from the field while holding Wyoming to 32.1% shooting.

Leland Walker led Wyoming with 14 points, but the Cowboys’ offense struggled with efficiency all night. Wyoming managed only five assists against 12 turnovers and shot just 25% from 3-point range. Nasir Meyer added nine points and five assists for the Cowboys.

The first half was a tightly contested affair featuring seven lead changes. Wyoming opened the game with a 3-pointer from Adam Harakow and held an early 8-4 lead. New Mexico responded with an 8-0 run, highlighted by two baskets from Buljan, to take a 12-8 advantage.

Wyoming stayed close behind Walker, who had 10 first-half points, including a driving layup in the final minute to cut the Lobos’ lead to 32-31. But New Mexico’s Uriah Tenette found Buljan for a dunk with two seconds left, giving the Lobos a three-point cushion and momentum heading into the break.

That momentum carried over emphatically. Jake Hall opened the second-half scoring with a 3-pointer, and after a Wyoming turnover, Hall connected again from deep. Following another Cowboys giveaway, Buljan converted a layup to cap the run and give New Mexico a 47-33 lead with 18:17 to play.

Wyoming never recovered. The Cowboys went nearly five minutes without a field goal during the stretch, and New Mexico continued to extend its lead, which ballooned to as many as 22 points in the final minutes.

Luke Haupt provided key support for New Mexico with 10 points, three steals and relentless defensive activity. Tenette finished with 14 points and three assists, while Deyton Albury dished out a game-high seven assists.

For Wyoming, Gavin Gores scored eight points and Abou Magassa added seven, but the Cowboys were outrebounded 42-35 and could not match New Mexico’s offensive firepower, which posted an efficiency rating of 116.9 points per 100 possessions.

The win was a bounce-back performance for New Mexico after its conference-opening loss at Boise State. The Lobos next travel to face Colorado State on Tuesday. Wyoming, which had won at Air Force in its league opener, returns home to host UNLV on Tuesday.