UNM dropped its seventh straight game after losing to a streaking Boise State team 75-65 in Boise, Idaho, where the Lobos’ inability to get stops was the team’s Achilles’ heel.
For the fourth time in five games, the Lobos found themselves in a large deficit early in the first half. With 3:46 remaining in the first half, BSU senior guard Derrick Marks’ 3-pointer gave the Broncos a 38-19 lead, capping off a 25-5 run.
The Lobos would answer, however, with a run of their own. Down 19, UNM went on a 10-1 run going into halftime. The Lobos trailed 39-29 at the half.
The second half had a similar trend with the Lobos not being able to get stops when they needed to. UNM opened the half on a 7-4 that cut the lead to just 7 (43-36) but couldn’t get stops to bring it any closer.
“There were too many mental breakdowns,” said head coach Craig Neal said in a press release. “There were some times we played very, very well, but we couldn’t sustain it. But some of our guys have never been through this.”
Neal and the players were not available to the media prior to Saturday’s game.
UNM had a hard time finding an answer on the defensive end for the offensive-minded Marks. He finished with a game-high 30 points on 12-20 shooting and 5-11 from behind the 3-point arc.
“Nobody wanted to even guard him,” Neal said about Marks. “I’m not upset about them (Lobos) not playing hard. I thought we had great fight,”
Marks wasn’t the only Bronco to have an impressive game. Sophomore forward Nick Duncan scored 26 points for the Broncos after only having eight against the Lobos last time. He was unconscious from behind the 3-point arc, scoring 24 of his 26 from deep.
Boise State lives and dies by the 3-point shot, and Neal said he knew that going into the game. If the Broncos make 10 or more 3-pointers per game, he said, they’re going to be hard to beat. The Lobos allowed a season-high 15 triples to the Broncos, who were averaging 8.8 treys per game.
“You allow 15 3s and you aren’t going to win. They are a little bit different team,” Neal said. “They make you guard their bigs on the 3-point line and then their guards can drive you.”
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
The Lobos were led by their two seniors, Deshawn Delaney and Hugh Greenwood. Delaney led the Lobos with 14 points and grabbed four rebounds while Greenwood finished with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists.
“That kid (Greenwood) gives me everything he has,” Neal said. “It’s a shame he has to go through this (losing streak). I feel badly for him, but his legacy won’t be made this season.”
The Lobos (14-14, 6-10 Mountain West) will look for a bounce-back win on Saturday when they travel to Fresno, California, and play the sixth-place Fresno State Bulldogs, who have won five of their last seven conference meetings at home this season. The Lobos hosted the Bulldogs in the first game of conference play, defeating them 76-64.
The last time the two met, the Bulldogs had four players score 11 or more points but still fell short. Greenwood led the charge for the Lobos scoring a team-high 16 points while tallying five rebounds and five assists.
FSU (13-15, 8-7 Mountain West) is led by junior guard Marvelle Harris who is averaging 17.2 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game. He scored a game-high 19 points against the Lobos on Jan. 31 at WisePies Arena.
Kyle Tomasi is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @KyTo22.
