Whatever the reason, New Mexico continued its vapid play in a 76-68 loss to the UNLV Rebels on Saturday.
UNM dropped its sixth game in a row and has lost seven of its last eight overall. In the midst of one of the worst seasons in recent memory, head coach Craig Neal said the team has not shown eagerness to get back to the team’s winning ways.
“It just seems like when it goes downhill, there’s no push back,” Neal said. “There’s no fight to get back.”
The Lobos, as has been the case with many games of late, fell behind early and faced an uphill battle for the remainder of the game. Though sophomore center Obij Aget hit a layup to take the lead with 17:46 remaining in the first half, UNM failed to push ahead.
UNLV came out of the gates firing, hitting three 3-pointers and connecting on one dunk in their first four possessions of the game. The Rebels kept pouncing on UNM for a good portion of the first half until the Lobos mustered a late run that brought them back into the game.
Aget kick-started a 12-0 run with 5:29 remaining in the first half that knotted the game up at 34 apiece, but the Rebels answered with a quick 5-0 run to end the half. The late spurt gave UNLV a 39-34 edge heading into halftime.
“We’ve talked about and practiced to get off to a good four-minute start, and we’re not. We’re not doing it,” Neal said. “We’re taking bad shots; we’re not in any rhythm.”
Aget led the Lobos with 14 points and grabbed eight boards in the loss. Redshirt sophomore forward Devon Williams and senior guard Hugh Greenwood pitched in for 13 points of their own and added 3 rebounds each.
The Lobos (14-13, 6-9 Mountain West) fought back once again to start the second half after a pair of baskets from Williams. Despite their efforts, the Lobos couldn’t get over the hump to take the lead.
UNM shot 42.3 percent (22-52 FG) from the floor and 42.9 percent (3-7 3FG) from behind the 3-point arc. The Lobos did shine from the free throw line, shooting 72.4 percent (21-29 FT) — an increase from their season average of 66.3 percent.
Multiple times in the second half the Lobos were within one to two possessions of either tying or taking the lead but couldn’t produce on either side of the ball when they needed it.
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UNLV’s four-headed monster was too much for the Lobos to handle for an entire 40-minute game. Freshman guard Patrick McCaw led the Rebels with 22 points, while senior guard Jelan Kendrick and sophomore Christian Wood chipped in 17 points each. UNLV freshman center Goodluck Okonoboh, who had not played in the first meeting against the Lobos, had 12 points of his own.
The four starters’ point totals accounted for all but eight points in the contest.
“I just thought Goodluck got us off to a great start,” UNLV head coach Dave Rice said. “His low-post game has improved so much. He’s worked extremely hard. He’s playing with confidence, and I thought did a good job of finding him and he certainly carried the load for us offensively in the post in the first half.”
The Rebels (15-12, 6-8 Mountain West) shot a scorching 54 percent (27-50 FG) from the floor and 58.8 percent (10-17 3FG) from the 3-point line. They also connected on 80 percent (12-15 FT) of their free throw attempts.
Pink Pack donations
Greenwood’s Pink Pack Foundation raised about $18,000 at Saturday’s game, though the exact amount was not immediately clear. The money was a combination of the game-worn jerseys that were auctioned off during the first half and other various donations.
On top of the $18,000, UNLV presented Kjiersten Straub, Greenwood’s girlfriend, a $5,000 donation for the Pink Pack Foundation.
Greenwood’s mother has been battling breast cancer, fueling his motivation to found the Pink Pack.
“It’s fantastic. That’s what we don’t want to take away from the night and the success that we had,” Greenwood said. “It means a lot, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you to the UNLV fans and their boosters and their organization for their donation. I don’t want the loss to take away the success and the positive that we got out of tonight.”
Kyle Tomasi is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @KyTo22.
