Despite the progress New Mexico made in their last four straight victories, the Lobos look to have taken a couple steps back in their two-game road trip.
Four days removed from an incorrect call from a referee that led to an overtime loss at San Diego State, UNM struggled in an 80-72 setback at Utah State on Tuesday night. This marked their first ever loss in Logan, Utah.
The teams played a much tighter first half this time around compared to their earlier meeting this season. Back on Jan. 9, UNM held a 43-18 advantage on Utah State. On Tuesday, however, the Aggies broke a 17-all tie midway through the opening half to enter the break with a 40-32 edge. USU capped the half scoring eight of the last 11 points.
“You have to give them credit, they played well and with heart,” Lobo coach Craig Neal said in a statement. “We can’t get up when there is 13,000 people, we have to play at a high level all the time. I just feel bad because they are finding out the hard way.”
UNM managed to score six straight points to start the second half, including four points from forward Tim Williams, but Utah State never relinquished the lead and led by as many as 11 points.
The Lobos lost despite another 20-point effort from Williams and guard Elijah Brown. Brown topped all scorers with 22 points on a 7-for-16 effort, including four 3-pointers, while Williams had 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting.
The Aggies countered with 19 points from guard Chris Smith, who UNM had contained in their first meeting, though not in this one. Smith scored 19 points on Tuesday, followed by 15 points from forward Lew Evans and 11 points from forward Jalen Moore.
The teams finished close to one another in most statistical categories except one: free throws. The Aggies scored 21 points from the foul line on 28 attempts, including 19 of 24 in the second half. They made more free throws in that half than UNM attempted for the game, as the Lobos were 11 of 16 from the line.
From the field, New Mexico made 45.8 percent of its shots (27 of 59) while Utah State was at 49 percent (25 of 51). The Aggies made two more 3-pointers (9 of 25) than UNM (7 of 19). The Aggies also had a slight lead in rebounding as well, pulling down 33 to UNM’s 31.
The Lobos return to WisePies Arena Saturday to take on a San Jose State squad they beat 83-64 on Jan. 23.
J.R. Oppenheim is the assistant sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers men’s basketball and women’s soccer. Contact him at assistantsports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @JROppenheim.
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