The UNM men’s basketball team opened up Mountain West Conference play on Wednesday night on a good note.
The Lobos took down the Fresno State Bulldogs 78-73 increasing their undefeated home record to 7-0 at WisePies Arena aka the Pit. The victory marked New Mexico’s sixth consecutive in Mountain West openers and eighth straight when opening conference play at home.
Head Coach Craig Neal said he thought it was a good game for his players, who were bouncing back from a painful 31-point loss at No. 18 Arizona last week.
"It was a really good indication
Junior guard Elijah Brown, who began the game on the bench, led New Mexico with 19 points. Senior forward Tim Williams was close behind with 18, and other Lobos stepped up to shoulder the scoring load.
Senior center Obij Aget helped the cause by scoring 12 points, while Dane Kuiper chipped in 10, all in the first half. Both players played as starters and had an immediate impact.
Although he had scored six points by the first
It didn’t last
By the second timeout, New Mexico enjoyed a 17-12 lead thanks to seven points by Williams.
A three-pointer by Kuiper got the crowd on its feet about midway through the first half. He banged home another from long range and Brown hammered home a dunk to take a double-digit lead at 29-15 as the crowd roared again.
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Kuiper led all scorers at the break with 10, though he would not score again in the game. Fresno State was led by Karachi Edo with nine points, while teammate Jahmel Taylor scored eight in the opening frame.
The Lobos had slipped up during the last few minutes of the first period, but they began the second with more energy. The Lobo defense kept the Bulldogs from scoring for almost three
Brown hit the third and final three-pointer of the night for the Lobos to give his team a 53-44 lead with about 11 minutes left.
But Fresno State stormed back and Paul Watson tied the game 53-53 for the Bulldogs at the 8:04 mark.
New Mexico responded with a jumper by Jordan Hunter a few seconds later and crept back ahead over the next several minutes.
With 4:14 remaining, the Lobos were up by nine with a score of 63-54, but the Bulldogs continued to hang around.
Fresno State cut the lead to three points three times in the final 30 seconds, but Brown made six consecutive free throws to close out the game and deny the Bulldog comeback.
New Mexico shot 87.9 from the free throw line, helping the team overcome being outshot from the field in the game. The Lobos finished the game shooting at 45.1 percent from the field, while the Bulldogs shot 48.4 percent.
"I think the best thing about our team is the way we're shooting foul shots,” Neal said. “It's the only shot that's not guarded and I want our guys to make them as much as they can."
Brown was a good example of how the Lobos overcame some shooting woes. He was just 2-of-10 from the
“I think he’s the best player in the league. I really do,” Neal said. “I think he can do so many things to affect the game. I’m just trying to get him to play up to his capabilities…I’ve got complete confidence in him.”
After Brown’s performance Wednesday night, the coach said the guard has earned his spot as a starter for the next match.
The Lobos will hit the road to play the San Diego State Aztecs on Sunday. The game is scheduled to air on CBS Sports Network at 3 p.m.
Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She mainly covers men’s soccer and basketball. She can be reached at sports @dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg.
