POSTGAME NOTES | PDF BOX SCORE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (16-10, 9-4 MW) erased a 15 point deficit in the final six minutes to defeat the Boise State Broncos (17-10, 8-6 MW), 80-78, in WisePies Arena Wednesday.
The comeback was the largest in Lobo history in the final six minutes of a game. It was the first 15 point comeback since the team’s 61-60 win over Texas Tech on Dec. 29, 2010.
“We stayed the course, just had a feeling about my guys and we were due to win one of those,” said head coach Craig Neal. “Leon does a great job, they won the championship last year, they’re probably the most veteran team in the league and I like their team. I got great respect for them. It’s fortunate that we made some plays, guys turned it on and I think the biggest thing was holding them under 80.”
The Lobos were led by Elijah Brown, who recorded team highs with 26 points and six rebounds. 13 of his points were scored during the team’s comeback. Tim Williams scored 18 points and matched the game high of six rebounds. He shot 4-for-8 from the floor and had a season-high four blocks. Sam Logwood and Cullen Neal each chipped in eight.
“A win like this can put us on another level,” said Brown. “We know what we’re capable of and we didn’t play our best game, yet we were still able to beat one of the better teams in the conference. It gives us a huge boost and now we know, these last few games of the regular season, we have to finish out strong.”
The Broncos struck first with the opening basket, but the Lobos started their night with a 6-0 run. The Lobos took the lead and never trailed for the remainder of the half, going up by eight points on multiple occasions. A barrage of 3-pointers kept the Broncos in the game, but the home team entered the break leading, 42-37. Both teams were lights out from distance in the first half, as the Lobos shot 5-for-11 and the Broncos shot 7-for-14.
Boise State appeared to take over the game early on with a 14-0 run. The streak put the Lobos down, 55-46, with 15:44 remaining. The Lobos cut it to four points, but the Broncos followed with seven unanswered points. The Lobos found themselves down 61-76 with six minutes left, the largest lead of the game for Boise State.
Defensively, the Lobos sparked a comeback by forcing five straight missed shots. A Williams free throw and a Logwood layup started the comeback, and a four-point play from Brown cut the deficit to single digits and erupted the home crowd.
A Williams dunk and a pair of 3-pointers from Brown cut the Bronco lead to 78-77 with 1:08 left. The Lobos forced a turnover on the opposite end, and with 30 seconds left, Brown drew a foul and hit both to grab the lead. On the opposite end, Williams earned his fourth and biggest block on a driving layup and was fouled while corralling in the rebound. He hit one of two free throws, but the Lobos forced a wild 3-pointer on the final possession to seal the game.
Overall, the Lobos shot 45.1 percent (23-for-51) from the floor and 52.9 percent (9-for-17) from 3-point range. The Lobos more than doubled the Broncos free throw output, finishing 25-for-33. Although Boise shot 50 percent (31-for-62) on the evening, the Lobos held them to 2-for-10 shooting from distance in the second half. The Lobos also won the rebounding battle, 35-30.
“I just think my guys have grown up a lot,” Neal said. “They’ve stayed the course, they’ve listened, they’ve been coachable, they haven’t got down. They’ve been unbelievable the last 10 days. It’s been a lot of fun all year, we’ve gotten better and they’re fun to watch.”
Off the bench, the Lobos picked up seven points from both Xavier Adams and Dane Kuiper on a combined 4-for-8 shooting. Jordan Hunter recorded six points, two assists and two steals. Joe Furstinger and Tim Jacobs combined for three assists and both played key minutes down the stretch.
“Tim Jacobs came in and gave us a spark when we needed it, Joe did to,” stated Neal. “We’re going to keep plugging, we’re going to keep trying to get better, but this was big win. We deserved one of those, the basketball gods were looking down on us today.”
The Lobos will hit the road for a week-long trip, beginning Saturday at Air Force at noon MST.
(2/17/2016) MBB v. Boise State