LOGAN, Utah – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (14-10, 7-4 MW) dropped its road game Tuesday at the Utah State Aggies (12-11, 4-8 MW), 80-72.
Tim Williams had a strong effort Tuesday, scoring 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting. He pulled down a team-best seven rebounds, four of which were on offense. Elijah Brown posted team-bests of 22 points and five assists. Cullen Neal matched the team-high five assists, and also chipped in five points and three rebounds.
“You have to give them credit, they played well and with heart,” said head coach Craig Neal. “We can’t get up when there is 13,000 people, we have to play at a high level all the time. I just feel bad because they are finding out the hard way.”
The Lobos got off to a strong start against the Aggies, making six of their first 10 attempts. They led by as much as five points 16-11 less than seven minutes into the game. However, the home team made a late first half run and converted on nine of their last 12 shots of the period. The Aggies took their largest lead to that point into the break at 40-32.
New Mexico started the second half on a 6-0 run, forcing the Aggies to burn a timeout. Utah State went without a field goal for the first five minutes of the half, but maintained a single digit lead by making repeated trips to the foul line. The Aggies took 24 of their 28 free throw attempts in the second half, converting on 19. Utah State would lead by as much 11 points with 6:38 left on the clock. The Lobos cut that deficit to six points on multiple occasions in the final four minutes, but the Aggies responded with a basket in the paint or a trip to the foul line each time.
Overall, the Lobos shot 45.8 percent (27-for-59) and 36.8 percent (7-for-19) from 3-point range. The Aggies finished the game shooting 49 percent (25-for-51) from the floor and 36 percent (9-for-25) from distance.
Xavier Adams scored eight points off the bench on 3-for-5 shooting and pulled in three rebounds. Anthony Mathis scored seven points, going 2-for-3 with a four-point play in the first half. Sam Logwood registered seven points, three rebounds and three assists.
The Lobos will return to WisePies Arena Saturday for a matchup with San Jose State at 4 p.m. MST on ROOT SPORTS.
Lobos Drop Road Game at Utah State
