SAN JOSE, Calif. – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (11-8, 4-2 MW) earned its fourth Mountain West Conference victory Saturday, defeating the San Jose State Spartans (6-14, 1-7 MW) on the road, 83-64.
The Lobos were led by a combined 55 points from Elijah Brown and Tim Williams. Brown scored a career-high tying 33 points on 10-for-15 shooting, 4-for-5 from 3-point range. He was also perfect from the free throw line at 9-for-9 and recorded six rebounds and two steals. Williams logged 22 points on 10-for-19 shooting with a team-best 10 rebounds, earning his fourth double-double this season. Dane Kuiper secured a career-day, recording 11 points, four rebounds and four assists, a team-best mark. He also had two blocks and a steal.
“I thought our guys did a nice job, I’m really happy with their effort,” said head coach Craig Neal. “I thought we guarded pretty well. Any time you hold a team to 64, it’s pretty good. We got Elijah and Tim in spots we needed to get them into. We got good play, and Kuiper was big today.”
After allowing the first five points of the game, the Lobos took control and led for the majority of the contest. Down 10-7, New Mexico went on a 12-0 run to establish a lead it would never lose. The Spartans worked their deficit down to a point at 25-24 with four minutes before the break. However, the Lobos shot 5-for-8 down the stretch with two offensive rebounds to take a 37-32 into halftime.
The Lobos came out of halftime and spread the ball around, with five different players scoring the next five field goals, which pushed New Mexico up double-digits at 50-39. The Lobos kept the pressure on the home team and at the 9:22 mark, led by 15 at 66-51.
The Lobo defense took over from there to secure the victory. San Jose State did not score another field goal until the final 20 seconds, going 0-for-8 in the process. The defensive performance allowed New Mexico to lead by as much as 26 points and cruise to victory.
Overall, the Lobos shot 54.5 percent (30-for-55) from the floor and a season-best 70 percent (7-for-10) from 3-point range. The Lobos also shot 72.7 percent (16-for-22) from the foul line. On defense, New Mexico held the Spartans to 37.5 percent (21-for-56) shooting, 33 percent (7-for-21) from deep. The Lobos outrebounded the Spartans, 39-29, with 12 offensive rebounds.
Obij Aget finished the game a perfect 3-for-3, scoring six points. He also pulled down five boards. Freshman Jordan Hunter made his first career start, scoring five points on 2-for-3 shooting. Joe Furstinger recorded a career-high four blocks and a season-best seven rebounds. Splitting time with Hunter at point guard, Jacobs earned two assists and three rebounds over 21 minutes.
The Lobos will return to WisePies Arena on Wednesday to face Air Force at 7 p.m. MST.
(1/23/2016) MBB at San Jose State
Lobos Earn Road Victory over San Jose State, 83-64
