Sports

Sports

Basketball: Lobos hope to take down top 25 Arizona in tough road test

Isabel Gonzalez | December 19

The Lobos took a 40-point victory against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions on Saturday, but the competition will step up significantly as they face a nationally ranked opponent in Arizona. New Mexico (7-4) will travel to Tucson, Arizona to take on the University of Arizona Wildcats, a team that is ranked No. 18 in both the AP top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll. A release said the Lobos won the last meeting between the two schools. UNM took a 70-68, narrowly defeating then No. 2 Arizona on Dec. 21, 1999. On Tuesday evening, New Mexico will try to duplicate that result.

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Sports

Soccer: A pair of former Lobos receive invite to MLS combine

Isabel Gonzalez | December 19

Earlier this month, Major League Soccer released its initial list of Adidas MLS Player Combine invitees for the 2017 Adidas event. The University of New Mexico men’s soccer program received two of the 53 invitations for collegiate players across the nation. One was for forward Niko Hansen and the other for midfielder Chris Wehan. New Mexico was one of only 15 schools to have multiple players invited.

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Sports

Football: 2016 Gildan New Mexico Bowl encapsulated a season of perseverance for the Lobos

Robert Maler | December 19

Three Lobo football players used the words humble, blessed and exciting to describe the 2016 season—add perseverance to that list. New Mexico (9-4) capped the football season with a ninth win in the 2016 Gildan New Mexico Bowl, narrowly defeating Texas-San Antonio (6-7), 23-20. UTSA played a very disciplined game, filling the gaps on defense to force the run game outside and then showing good tackling ability. It forced Lobo junior Quarterback Lamar Jordan to make difficult decisions for much of the game regarding whether or not to make the pitch in the triple option. “It wasn’t our best offensive performance,” head coach Bob Davie said. “But I think UTSA obviously had a lot to do with that.”

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Sports

Football: Lobos win 9th game and cap season as bowl champions

Robert Maler | December 18

The Lobos had their hands full in the 2016 Gildan New Mexico Bowl, battling tough conditions and an even tougher opponent in a quest to win their first bowl game since 2007. With temperatures in the 40’s and an unrelenting wind, most probably believed the weather would favor the run-oriented Lobos. New Mexico (9-4) features the nation’s top rushing attack, but Texas-San Antonio (6-7) outrushed the Lobos by the narrowest of margins, 224 yards to 223. The Lobos got all it could handle from the Roadrunners, but did just enough to grind out a 23-20 victory to capture UNM head coach Bob Davie's first career bowl win, who was previously 0-4 in his head coaching career.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: UNM bounces back from loss to dominate Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Isabel Gonzalez | December 18

It wasn’t the Lobos’ prettiest game—but they probably didn’t want pretty—as the men’s basketball team showed no mercy taking down the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions 83-43 on Saturday night. Head coach Craig Neal said he felt good about the win and the effort his players showed. “I thought our guys did a really good job at the start the game,” he said. “Arkansas-Pine Bluff has been on a long road trip so I don’t know if they had the greatest of energy, but it was good to see our guys come out and get several stops in a row.”

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Opinion

Column: UNM Football has earned the right to expect more filled seats

Robert Maler | December 15

The New Mexico football program has pulled a 180 since hiring a new head coach five seasons ago. But despite putting a winning product on the field, attendance has inexplicably continued a downward trend. Head coach Bob Davie has the team reaching new heights after he took over a program that appeared to be in shambles, winning just three games in as many seasons before he took the helm. New Mexico (8-4) has a chance to triple that amount this season alone if it is victorious over Texas-San Antonio (6-6) in Saturday’s Gildan New Mexico Bowl.

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Sports

Football: Lobos to try for first bowl game win since 2007

Robert Maler | December 15

Lobo football looks to put an exclamation point on one of the most successful seasons in program history with a win at the 11th annual Gildan New Mexico Bowl on Saturday. New Mexico (8-4, 6-2 MW) stumbled out of the gate this season, losing leads in two of its first three games, resulting in an early 1-2 record. But the Lobos turned things around and found ways to win tightly contested games throughout the rest of the season. They earned bowl eligibility for the second straight year with several games remaining on the schedule.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: UNM loses to NMSU in Las Cruces for the first since 2007, snap 5-game winning streak in Rio Grande Rivalry

Isabel Gonzalez | December 12

New Mexico State basketball assured that this season’s Rio Grande Rivalry would be split it dealt New Mexico an 84-71 in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Saturday night. The loss dropped the Lobos’ record to 6-4, extending their road losing streak to three games. The Aggies, meanwhile, improve their record to 8-2 overall and remain hot having won six games in a row. Their last loss was on Nov. 18 during the first rivalry game of the season, when the Lobos took a 72-59 contest at WisePies Arena.

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Sports

Women's Basketball: Lobos find winning ways with dominant first-half shooting

Matthew Narvaiz | December 12

The Lobo women's basketball team looked like a well-oiled machine throughout most of its match against the University of Texas El Paso Miners, taking a 79-66 home victory on Sunday afternoon. The Lobos (4-5) seemed to feed off the positive energy the crowd of 4,596 exuded, especially early on. The first quarter couldn't have gone much better for the Lobos. Senior center Richelle van der Keijl made UTEP (2-6) pay, as she dropped six points down low and continued to do so throughout the half. Lobo guard Cherise Beynon also had a hot hand in the first quarter of play, scoring five points to help UNM go on top 20-12 at the end of the frame.

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Sports

Grad Issue: Lobo hopes to live his lifelong dream of playing professional soccer

Isabel Gonzalez | December 11

New Mexico men’s soccer standout Chris Wehan’s 6-year-old self would be proud. “It’s kind of crazy right now just going through the process of transitioning into possibly a professional career. I dreamed of it but I just never imagined that I would get there,” Wehan said. “I just hope someone believes in me and gives me an opportunity.” Like many younger siblings, his soccer journey began in part after he followed in the footsteps of his two older brothers, who also played. Wehan said he fell in love with the sport as early as 6 years old, and quickly discovered he might have some talent.

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Sports

Grad Issue: Basketball coach decides to improve his own game through college education

Bo Yu | December 11

“It’s time to go home. New Mexico is always a home for me, so too is Minnesota.” Transfer student Douglas Lemon, an English studies major, expected to return to Minnesota after graduating from UNM. Despite living a big part of his life in Minnesota, the transplanted Lobo was actually born and raised in Albuquerque until his early childhood. “I always wanted to come back here to New Mexico,” Lemon said.

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Sports

Women's Basketball: Lobos hope to use top 10 defense to down UTEP

Matthew Narvaiz | December 11

The New Mexico women's basketball team will host the University of Texas El Paso on Sunday,hoping to duplicate the victory the men’s team achieved over the Miners on Wednesday night. The Lobos (3-5) come into the game against UTEP (2-5) leading the overall series 31-17. But the last few matchups haven't been favorable for the Lobos, losing last season’s matchup to UTEP 70-62 loss against them last December. In the last seven meetings between the two, the Lobos have gone 2-5.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Sweeping season series against NMSU could prove tough task

Isabel Gonzalez | December 10

The UNM men’s basketball team walked away with a 13-point victory during the first Rio Grande Rivalry game of the season a few weeks ago, but getting a second win could prove to be a lot more difficult. The Aggies (7-2) will have home court advantage this time around and are a perfect 6-0 at the Pan American Center. The Lobos (6-3) are also undefeated on their home floor at WisePies Arena, but on the road they are 1-3.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos withstand UTEP comeback to stay undefeated at home

Robert Maler | December 8

New Mexico men’s hoops amassed an early 21-point lead against the University of Texas at El Paso, but gave it all back and then some as the teams played an instant classic that came down to the wire in a thrilling finish. The crowd of 11,838 rose to its feet after Lobo junior guard Xavier Adams emphatically waved his arm late in the game, imploring the home crowd to get behind his team. The Lobos and Miners traded baskets in the final minutes, before UTEP appeared to bury a dagger into the hearts of Lobo fans in the form of a 3-pointer to take a 77-74 lead with 28.4 seconds left.

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Sports

Women's Basketball: Epic comeback bid falls short against Minnesota

Matthew Narvaiz | December 7

A late fourth quarter run, with seconds left on the clock, couldn’t help the Lobo women's basketball team overcome the Golden Gophers of Minnesota, as they fell 69-65. The score didn't exactly reflect the play of New Mexico (3-5), as it took a resurgence of effort in the closing seconds to cut the margin to four points. As a team, the Lobos shot 27-of-78 from the field, about 35 percent. Head coach Mike Bradbury wasn't impressed with the faulty shooting either. Bradbury, while praising the efforts of his team’s defense, condemned the lack of shooting that the Lobos produced.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos to renew old rivalry with UTEP

Isabel Gonzalez | December 7

An old rivalry will spark again on Wednesday night as the UNM men’s basketball team is back at home this week to host the University of Texas at El Paso Miners — a team that used to play the Lobos on a regular basis. The last time the teams met in the regular season was in 2009, when the Lobos lost 73-60. They also squared off during the 2011 National Invitational Tournament, where New Mexico took a 69-57 win in the first round. UNM head coach Craig Neal said he is glad for the chance to play UTEP again.

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Sports

Women's Basketball: New Mexico looks to end homestead with win

Matthew Narvaiz | December 6

The Lobo women's basketball team is looking to turn its season around in the midst of a four-game homestand as it seeks a second straight win against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at home. The Lobos (3-4) took a convincing 64-49 win over Southern Methodist on Saturday. SMU entered the game with an impressive 5-2 record, but UNM protected home court while celebrating 50 years of WisePies Arena/the Pit. The team will want to continue that trend when the game takes place at WisePies Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 6.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos fall to Illinois in close match

Iasbel Gonzalez | December 4

After a close battle, the Lobos eventually fell on the road, losing 79-74 Saturday evening to the Illinois State Redbirds. It was, officially, New Mexico’s first road loss, but the team has also lost a pair of neutral-site games, making its overall record 5-3. New Mexico started out well, hitting four of its first five shots to lead 9-5 after the first media timeout.

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Sports

Football: Lobos to play in Gildan New Mexico Bowl for second straight year

Robert Maler | December 4

For the second straight year, the New Mexico football earned a bowl berth — and for the second straight year it will play in its home stadium as a participant in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. Head coach Bob Davie, in the press conference prior to the team’s final regular season game, said he’d actually prefer to play in the New Mexico Bowl if given the choice. “The thought of, if we’re bowl eligible, someone else playing in our stadium, someone else using our locker room...I just have a hard time seeing two teams playing in our stadium, when we can be one of them,” Davie said.

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Sports

Women's Basketball: Outstanding defense ends Lobos' losing streak

Robert Maler | December 4

The New Mexico women’s basketball team played shutdown defense, crashed the boards and leaned on a pair of career-high performances to bring a halt to its four-game losing skid Saturday afternoon. New Mexico (3-4) played arguably its most complete game of the season, dispatching Southern Methodist (5-3) by a score of 64-49 in the women’s edition of the Pit’s 50th anniversary game. Head coach Mike Bradbury said it was the hardest the team has played so far. He said the game plan was intricate and the task difficult, but his players executed with precision.