BOISE, Idaho – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (13-8, 6-2 MW) took sole possession of second place in the Mountain West Conference with a road win over the Boise State Broncos (15-7, 6-3 MW), 88-83, Saturday at the Taco Bell Arena.
Elijah Brown led the Lobos with 30 points on 7-for-15 shooting, including 4-for-7 from 3-point range. Brown went 12-for-14 from the free throw line. He also logged five rebounds and five assists, a team high. Tim Williams scored 21 points with seven rebounds, while Cullen Neal chipped in 14 points. Obij Aget had a team-high eight rebounds with six points.
“I have to give my guys credit for working hard the last two days,” said head coach Craig Neal. “They’ve been doing it all week and that’s why we’ve gotten better. They’ve practice harder and we’ve played better.
“We are going to keep working, being a team and growing. This is a fun group and I love coaching them.”
The Lobos led for over 18 minutes in the first half, although never by more than a couple of possessions. New Mexico set the tone early and jumped out to a 14-8 lead in the first five and a half minutes, their largest lead of the half. The Lobos held onto their lead until the Broncos hit a hot streak before the break. On the last home possession, Nick Duncan was fouled on a 3-pointer and made all three to take a two point lead. New Mexico answered when Brown banked in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to retake the lead at halftime, 40-39.
Boise State continued to shoot well coming out of the break, and in the first four minutes, went on a 9-0 run to take a five-point lead. Out of a timeout, the Lobos locked Boise State down and held them scoreless for over six minutes. Sam Logwood scored seven straight points to kick-start a 14-0 run, giving the Lobos their largest lead of the game at 59-50.
“We went to (Logwood) when we needed him and he made plays off the dribble,” stated Coach Neal. “He made some big plays for us and he’s hard to guard.”
Out of another timeout, the pendulum swung again. Boise State went on a 15-2 run to retake the lead at the six minute mark. Neal and Brown ended the run, combining for the first 11 points on a 15-2 stretch for the road team. The second big streak of the half put the Lobos up 76-67 with two minutes remaining. Boise State went out on a barrage of 3-pointers, but the Lobos went 9-for-10 at the foul line to end the game and seal the victory.
The Lobos shot 56 percent (28-for-50) on the game and 50 percent (8-for-16) from 3-point range. They held Boise State to 39.1 percent (25-for-64) shooting and 33.3 percent (11-for-33) from deep. The Lobos won the rebounding battle, 32-31.
The Lobos return home in a quick turnaround, facing UNLV in WisePies Arena Tuesday at 6 p.m. MST.
(1/30/2016) MBB at Boise State