ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The sinking feeling was the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team getting blown out in The Pit.

New Mexico put on a dazzling display of shooting in the second half to defeat the Rainbow Warriors, 89-60, yesterday.

A boisterous crowd of 13,518 in The Pit watched the Lobos shoot an astounding 75.9 percent from the field in the second half to improve to 6-0.

Hawai'i, which was playing its first road game of the season, dropped to 1-3. The last time a Hawai'i time lost by more than 29 points was during the 2000-01 season.

"We got our butts whupped pretty good," senior guard Riley Luettgerodt said. "But it wasn't as bad as it looked. They turned it into a 30-point game at the end. It wasn't like that the whole game."

The 'Bows actually had a seven-point lead midway through the first half, but New Mexico went on a run late in the first half to take a 38-31 lead at intermission.

And then the Lobos couldn't miss in the second half.

"They had an unbelievable shooting night," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said. "We certainly didn't do our part to make those shots difficult for them, but to New Mexico's credit, they took advantage of it."

Four Hawai'i players scored in double-figures: Bobby Nash had 16, Jared Dillinger 15, Luettgerodt 14 and Bill Amis 10.

The rest of the team combined to score five points.

"Once we got behind, we started taking quick shots," Luettgerodt said. "We were all trying to get something going, but we kept missing. Then they'd go down and score. It kept piling up."

Bob Nash said: "We got in a deficit and our guys kind of panicked, and made too many mental mistakes at both ends of the floor."

The Lobos made 22 of 29 shots from the field in the second half. In contrast, the 'Bows shot 8 of 23 (34.8 percent) after intermission.

Chad Toppert led five New Mexico players in double-figures with 20 points, including 5-of-6 shooting in the second half. He was 4 of 6 from 3-point range for the game.

Daniel Faris added 16 points, shooting 6 for 6 in the second half. He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, leading the Lobos to a 33-21 advantage on the boards.

Hawai'i used both zone and man-to-man defenses yesterday, but neither was effective.

"It was a lack of concentration and focus on our part," Dillinger said. "I don't want to take anything away from New Mexico because they are a very good team. But we gave them a lot of nice, wide-open shots. Any Division I player should be able to hit shots like that."

For the game, the Lobos shot 61 percent, including 50 percent (12 of 24) from 3-point range. The 'Bows shot 44.9 percent overall, including 17.6 percent (3 of 17) from 3-point range.

"I thought our guys responded well," New Mexico head coach Steve Alford said. "We shared the ball again. We made 12 3s, shot 50 percent from the 3 again."

New Mexico actually shot better from the field than it did from the free throw line, where they went 5 of 10 for 50 percent.

Hawai'i raced to an 18-11 lead to start the game, but the Lobos responded with a 14-2 run to take a 25-20 lead with 7:01 remaining in the half.

The 'Bows endured a nine-minute stretch in the first half without Bobby Nash, who entered averaging 22.3 points per game. He picked up his second foul less than three minutes into the game and was replaced by sophomore Adhar Mayen.

"That's one of those things you can't look at as an excuse," he said. "The refs are human."

When Nash left the game, the 'Bows had an 8-4 lead. When he returned, the Lobos led, 23-20. Hawai'i never regained the lead after that.

"We had to take Bobby out once he got those early fouls," Bob Nash said. "And he didn't get a good rhythm going until late. But we were off-balance offensively all night."

The Lobos opened the second half with a 10-2 surge to increase the lead to 48-33.

Hawai'i cut it to 62-51 with 9:01 remaining, but the Lobos turned it into a rout with a 16-2 run that pushed the lead to 78-53 with 4:42 remaining.

By then, the red-clad fans in The Pit were in a frenzy, chanting the names of the various Lobos after every made shot.

"That was nice," Alford said of New Mexico's largest crowd of the season. "We've got to hope it just continues to build and I think it will because I think the word is getting out that these guys are fun to watch."

Hawai'i will get another shot at the Lobos. The Honolulu portion of the home-and-home series is scheduled for Dec. 27.

The 'Bows are scheduled to return to Honolulu this afternoon. Their next game is scheduled for Tuesday against Coppin State at the Stan Sheriff Center.

CANADIAN FORWARD SIGNS FOR 2008-09

Adam Jespersen, a 6-7, 210-pound forward from Canada, fulfilled his verbal commitment by signing a letter of intent yesterday to play for Hawai'i.

Jespersen averaged around 18 points and 10 rebounds per game as a junior last season at H.B. Beal Secondary School in London, Ontario, Canada. His senior season at Beal will begin next month.

Jespersen, who committed to play for the 'Bows during the summer, will have four seasons of eligibility starting in the 2008-09 season.

"We're very excited to sign another international recruit," Nash said. "He's a very skilled player and has exactly what we're looking for with our new emphasis on an up-tempo game."

Jespersen was the only recruit to sign with Hawai'i during the early signing period, which ended yesterday.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.