Stevens: Lobos Fall 66-63 in Overtime at Nevada
New Mexico Lobos Men’s Basketball – On The Mountain West Road
Saturday: Nevada 66, New Mexico 63 (OT)
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
A Pit game might be exactly what the New Mexico Lobos need and there is no reason not to see that on the horizon as the San Diego State Aztecs visit WisePies Arena on Tuesday.
The Aztecs are a team that will bring the ornery out of The Pit, which will be sold out for the game.
And Coach Craig Neal’s Lobos probably could use the friendly confines of WisePies Arena to help them, as Neal says, “get over the hump.”
The Lobos held a 14-point lead over Nevada with 8:17 to play, but allowed the Wolf Pack to force a tie in regulation and then pull out a 66-63 win in overtime. It was the Lobos fourth consecutive loss as they continue to slide down the Mountain West standings. UNM is now 14-11 overall and 6-7 in league play.
“I just thought they (Nevada) became real aggressive,” said Neal explaining Nevada’s rally. “They continued to drive our zone, and we didn’t get in front of them. We didn’t have as much pop in our step defensively as we did in the first half.
“We have to figure it out. It’s very frustrating.”
The Lobos got a bucket inside from J.J. N’Ganga with 11:55 to play which pushed UNM into a 45-31 lead. UNM also led 52-38 with 8:17 to go and the Lobos were not in bad shape up 56-48 with 4:09 to play.
It was pretty much Nevada the rest of the way. The Wolf Pack tied the game at 56-56 with 1:50 to go in regulation. Nevada grabbed a 59-56 lead with 1:23 to play before UNM’s Hugh Greenwood hit a 3-pointer at the 1:12 mark to form the 59-59 count that carried to the end of regulation.
Both teams had trouble scoring in overtime and the score was 63-all with 1:12 to play after N’Ganga hit a short jumper. Nevada got a free throw followed by a dunk with 33 seconds to play to grab a 66-63 lead. UNM did not get a good shot off in the final seconds and took the MW loss.
“We did a good job for 35 minutes and we had the game and we had opportunities,” said Neal. “There are a ton of plays you can go over, but they really drove us in our zone.”
The Lobos had three players in double figures with Hugh Greenwood leading the way with 15 points. He went 3-of-10 from 3-point range.
“He (Greenwood) has to wait for screens and he needs to pick his spots, but we have to have some other guys step up,” said Neal.
“We’re asking Hugh to play a different role and it’s not easy. D.D. (Deshawn Delaney) has never been in the position where he has had to be a closer or make a game-winning shot. There is not a go-to guy.”
Freshman Sam Logwood had 13 points, six boards and three assists. Deshawn Delaney had 10 points, three steals and seven boards. He went 2-of-11 from the field, but 6-of-6 from the line.
“We can’t rely on the shots we’re taking,” said Neal. “The problem we are having as a group is we have a lot of young guys who haven’t had late-game experience and now they are in those situations. Our guys have to start learning in tape sessions and learning in in-game situations.
“We are struggling, but sooner or later we have to start making plays.”
The Lobos shot 35 percent from the field and Nevada shot 40 percent. UNM went 12-of-13 from the free-throw line and Nevada went 14-of-17. Nevada had 17 turnovers and UNM had 12 miscues. The teams broke even in the rebounding category at 40-40.
Nevada got 24 points from Coleman Marqueze and 12 points and 17 rebounds from AJ West. The Wolf Pack had four players in double figures. Nevada had 19 fast-break points to seven for UNM.
The Lobos led 31-19 at the half before being outscored 40-28 in the second half and 7-4 in overtime. UNM led the game for 36 minutes and 17 seconds.
“I went with my seniors hoping we could get a road win because they have been through it before,” said Neal. “It’s discouraging. We played really well for a while, but we couldn’t finish the game. It’s one of those things that is upsetting.
“The kids are working hard. We just have to figure out how to get over the hump.”
The four-game losing streak is part of that hump, but the Lobos get a much-needed week of action inside WisePies Arena aka The Pit. New Mexico hosts San Diego State on Tuesday and UNLV on Saturday.
Editor’s Note: Richard Stevens is a former national award-winning Sports Columnist and Associate Sports Editor at The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net.