ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team fell to No. 18 ranked Arizona 77-46 on Tuesday night at the McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz. The Lobos are now 7-5 on the season and begin Mountain West action on Dec. 28 against Fresno State inside WisePies Arena – The Pit.
Elijah Brown led all scorers with 17 points. He was 5-for-13 from the field, including 1-for-4 from the three. He finished 6-for-9 from the foul line to along with two assists and a steal. Tim Williams finished with 14 points, shooting 7-for-16 from the field. Williams and Joe Furstinger led the team in rebounds with eight each.
The game didn’t start out on a high note for the Lobos as they were down 9-0 to the Wildcats going into the first media timeout. They ended up shooting 22.6 percent from the field in the first half and did not make a three in six attempts.
The Lobos didn’t get on the scoreboard until the 14:11 mark after a Williams two. Williams scored the next two within the next two minutes, but the Lobos could never get in an offensive rhythm, trailing at halftime 37-16.
The second half was filled with more energy from the Lobos as they held the Wildcats to four points within the first five minutes of the half. But fouls put the Wildcats at the line, extending their lead to 47-24. The Lobos came within 24 points with 6:14 left to play but couldn’t stop the Wildcats at the line as they made eight in the final six minutes.
The Lobos did outscore the Wildcats off the bench 24-21. They also beat the Wildcats on the offensive rebound column 14-12. The Lobos finished the game shooting 26.2 percent from the field, 14.3 percent from the three and 62.5 percent from the foul line.
New Mexico will begin Mountain West play after the holiday on Dec. 28, facing Fresno State inside WisePies Arena – The Pit at 7 p.m. MT. The game will be available on ESPN3.