FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (16-12, 9-6 MW) ended its road trip Tuesday with a loss against Colorado State Rams (15-13, 7-8 MW), 86-69.
The Lobos were led by Tim Williams, who logged team-highs with 17 points and seven rebounds. He shot 6-for-8 from the field and 5-for-6 from free throw range. His 17 points pushed his collegiate career total to over 1,500 points. Elijah Brown logged a game-high and career-high six assists to go with 16 points and five rebounds. Cullen Neal recorded 10 points and four assists.
“I give (Colorado State) a lot of credit, they played hard and looked like a team that wanted to win,” said head coach Craig Neal. “We’ll get back to work, do things the right way and see what happens on Saturday.”
The Lobos and Rams played a back and forth first half in which the teams were never separated by more than seven points. The Rams took their largest lead of the period immediately, starting the game on a 7-0 run. The Lobos answered by making five straight shots, ripping off an 11-0 run. Midway through the half, the Lobos took their largest lead at 21-15. However, the home team retook the advantage and outscored the Lobos, 17-10, over the rest of the period to take a 37-31 lead into the break.
The Rams quickly built a double digit lead in the second half on a barrage of 3-pointers, draining six in the first six minutes of the period. The run put the Lobos down, 57-41, with 14:16 remaining. From there, the Lobos earned five straight stops and cut the deficit to 12 points. However, a seventh second-half 3-pointer squashed put the brakes on a potential run. The Rams would finish the second half with nine treys and lead by as much as 24 points with a minute left. The Lobos ended the game on a 7-0 run, locking in the final score.
Overall, the Lobos finished shooting 47.9 percent (23-for-48) from the floor and 82.6 percent (19-for-23) from the free throw line. The Rams finished with a shooting percentage of 48.5 percent (32-for-66) and went 10-for-16 from the free throw line.
Sam Logwood registered nine points on 4-for-6 shooting. He also had five rebounds and a block. Obij Aget shot 3-for-4 from the floor, good for eight points. Aget logged five boards, a block and a steal. Xavier Adams came off the bench to tally six points, four rebounds and three steals, matching a career high.
The Lobos return home on Saturday to face the Fresno State Bulldogs at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
Lobos Downed by Colorado State on the Road
