UNM dropped a heartbreaker to the Air Force Falcons 53-49 after the Lobos couldn’t find their rhythm on the offensive side, hoisting up shots that they haven’t been known to hit this season.
The Lobos trailed the Falcons much of the first half and went into halftime down two after a corner 3-pointer by senior guard Deshawn Delaney at the buzzer. UNM attempted 13 3-pointers in the first half and connected on six of them.
“We got caught shooting 3-pointers in the first half,” head coach Craig Neal said. “I told them (at halftime), ‘Why are you going to settle for the first thing you get?’ We don’t shoot the ball well enough; it’s evident by our percentages (32 percent).”
The second half started to look a little different for the Lobos as they gathered eight points in the paint, four from the free throw line and only one 3-pointer.
The Lobos didn’t stick to the inside game very long. The next six possessions consisted of four 3-point shots and two turnovers.
The team finished 9-23 (39.1 percent) from behind the 3-point arc, which is slightly above their season average of 31.5 percent.
Senior guard Hugh Greenwood scored a team-high 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists while committing zero turnovers. Delaney was the next leading scorer with 14 points and added five rebounds and three assists.
The Lobos (14-8, 6-4 Mountain West) were held scoreless in the final 6:38 of the second half after a Greenwood 3-pointer that put them up 49-44. The Falcons would end the game on a 9-0 run to down the Lobos.
“We can’t keep letting opportunities slip away like that,” Neal said.
The past two trips to Colorado Springs have not ended well for the Lobos. Two seasons ago they were defeated by a last-second 3-pointer that gave the Falcons a one-point edge. Before these two contests, the Lobos had won 15 in a row at Clune Arena.
Due to the loss on Wednesday, the Lobos dropped into third place in a tightly contested Mountain West race. They are now two full games behind San Diego State and Wyoming.
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The Falcons (10-12, 3-8 Mountain West) were led by Roswell High School graduate Marek Olesinski, who scored a game-high 18 points. He scored nine of the Falcons’ final 14 points.
The Lobos will return home to face the Utah State Aggies on Saturday at WisePies Arena. UNM defeated USU on Jan. 10 in Logan, Utah by a score of 66-60.
UNM was led by Greenwood, who scored 22 points and a career-high six 3-pointers. Junior center J.J. N’Ganga also had a very efficient game their last meeting, scoring eight points off the bench and snatching seven rebounds.
The Aggies (12-10, 5-5 Mountain West) are led by Jalen Moore who scored 22 points in the last outing against the Lobos. He is averaging 15.2 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game on the season.
USU is 2-3 in Mountain West play on the road while the Lobos are 4-1 at home during conference play.
Kyle Tomasi is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @KyTo22.
