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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (5-2) returns to WisePies Arena Saturday to host the Northern Iowa Panthers (6-2) at 7 p.m.
The Lobos are coming off of their second loss of the season, a close battle on the road against No. 11 Purdue, 70-58. New Mexico held Purdue to 37.1 percent shooting this past Saturday, becoming the first team this season to hold the Boilermakers to under 40 percent shooting. The group returned this week to take their final exams and are ready to get back into the final stretch of nonconference games.
New Mexico returns to Albuquerque, where the squad is 4-0 this season. The team’s next three games are in the WisePies Arena, with New Mexico State coming next Wednesday, followed by a Saturday matchup with Rice. If the Lobos can win all three, they’d match the 7-0 home start of the 2012-13 team that went on to win the Mountain West regular season and tournament titles.
In order to reach that mark, they start with a Northern Iowa squad that has faced the nation’s best and won, defeating No. 1 North Carolina, 71-67, on Nov. 21. That game came during a five-game winning streak, which was snapped at the hands of Richmond this past Saturday, 82-67. In their most recent outing, the Panthers bounced back with a win over George Mason, 73-65.
Youth Day/Mascot Mania:
The University of New Mexico athletic department will hold its annual Youth Day and Mascot Mania event for Saturday’s game against Northern Iowa. All youth single game purchasers between the ages of 2-18 will receive a $10 ticket in bench Rows 1-10, while supplies last. The department will also have mascot mania at halftime of the men’s game.
Student Tailgate and Selfie Contest:
The Lobos are hosting a student tailgate party on the North Concourse of WisePies Arena on Saturday from 5-6 p.m. Students are invited to come out and enjoy several games and prizes. Also, the athletic department will be holding a student selfie contest leading up to Saturday’s game. To participate, students can take a selfie with their student ticket and tag #GoLobos. The winner, who must attend the game, will be selected and win two free movie passes.
The Coaches:
New Mexico head coach Craig Neal has led his team to five wins in their first six games for the second time in his three-year tenure. Neal’s winning percentage as a head coach is .653, which puts him in the top five all-time at New
Mexico among coaches with at least 50 games. He currently sits .010 under the great Bob King. UNI is led by Ben Jacobson, who is in year 10 at UNI and is the all-time wins leader with 203 victories. Entering the season, Jacobson has averaged 21.9 wins per season with the Panthers.
Series History:
New Mexico and Northern Iowa will be playing in the second ever game between the two programs. The only meeting between the two teams came on Dec. 23, 2010, in which Northern Iowa won, 66-60, in the Las Vegas Classic. A.J. Hardeman had 16 points and Dairese Gary 14 for the Lobos (10-2), whose eight-game winning streak ended. Gary scored New Mexico’s last eight points, helping cut the deficit to 61-60 with a minute left.
Broadcast Information:
The game will be televised on ESPN3. The broadcast can be found HERE.
For fans tuning in on the radio, Robert Portnoy will give the play-by-play action alongside analyst and Lobo great Hunter Greene on 770 KKOB, the flagship station of the New Mexico Lobos. This feed will also be available via the TuneIn Radio App.