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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team will begin the 2016-17 regular season Friday against the Idaho State Bengals at 8 p.m. MST in WisePies Arena – The Pit. The game will be televised on ROOT Sports.
The Lobos will kick off the 2016-17 season with “Heroes Night” in honor of the current and former men and women who have served our country in the armed services, as well as the first responders of our community. Fans who present a valid Military or First Responder ID will be able to purchase a ticket for $17 in bench seating rows. You can also use THANKYOU as a promo code and receive the same price for online purchases on www.unmtickets.com.
New Mexico enters Friday looking for its 14th straight season-opening win. The Lobos are coming off a strong preseason, in which they defeated Western New Mexico, 113-57, and Eastern New Mexico, 88-66. The Lobos were led by freshman Damien Jefferson against the Mustangs as he scored 16 points. Against Eastern New Mexico, redshirt senior Tim Williams, who was named to the All-Mountain West Preseason Team, led the way with a double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds.
Idaho State is picked to finish fifth in the Big Sky, earning 79 points in the preseason conference poll. They had six more points than sixth place Montana State. Senior guard Ethan Telfair was selected to the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference team as he led the Bengals in scoring last year with 20.2 points per game. The Bengals are coming off an 89-55 exhibition win over Southern Virginia.
The Coaches:
Neal enters his fourth season as head coach of the Lobos and his 10th year with the university. Neal holds a 59-38 overall record as head coach. He reached 40 wins in just 53 games and is the second fastest coach in school history to reach that mark. Bill Evans is in his fifth season at the helm for Idaho State. He owns a 40-80 record and was named the 2015-16 Big Sky Conference and NABC All-District Coach of the Year after having an 11-7 conference record, best winning percentage since the 2000-01 season.
Series History:
The Lobos’ season-opener on Bob King Court will be the eighth matchup between New Mexico and Idaho State. The Lobos lead the series, 6-1 and are 5-1 in WisePies Arena – The Pit. The series dates back to March 9, 1974, when the Lobos defeated the Bengals 73-65 in Pocatello, Idaho in the NCAA Tournament. The last time the two teams met was on Nov. 14, 2014. The Lobos downed the Bengals 79-55 in the Pit.
Broadcast Information:
The men’s basketball game against Idaho State will be televised on ROOTS Sports. The broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. MT. The game will air exclusively on ROOT SPORTS in most areas of New Mexico, as well as Colorado, Eastern Wyoming, and portions of South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. The game may also be available in additional markets, so please check your local listings.
For fans tuning in on the radio, Jeff Siembieda will give the play-by-play action alongside analyst and Lobo great Hunter Greene on 770 KKOB, the flagship station of the New Mexico Lobos.