UNM Game Notes | SDSU Game Notes | Live Stats | Live Audio
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team will be looking to build more momentum as it heads to San Diego, California on Sunday to take on the reigning Mountain West regular-season champions, San Diego State. The game is set for 3 p.m. MT/2 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network (Comcast: 274, DISH: 158, DirecTV: 221).
The Lobos have already started building momentum as they began conference play with a 78-73 victory over Fresno State Wednesday. Four players finished in double figures which was just the second time this season. Elijah Brown came off the bench to lead the Lobos with 19 points, making 14-of-14 from the foul line. Tim Williams finished with 18 while Obij Aget and Dane Kuiper finished with 12 and 10, respectively.
With the victory, the Lobos improved to 8-5 on the season and 1-0 in the Mountain West. It was the sixth straight MW opening victory and eighth straight MW opening win at home. The Lobos are now 7-0 inside WisePies Arena this season.
On the season, the Lobos are shooting 46.7 percent from the field which still remains in the top two of the conference ranks. Tim Williams continues to lead the Lobos in scoring at 18.1 ppg and in rebound at 6.8 per game. Williams still leads the conference in field goal percentage at 59.2 percent. Brown is averaging 16.3 ppg.
The Lobos will be facing a tough opponent in San Diego State on Sunday. The Aztecs are 8-4 on the season and will have had a week off from competition before playing the Lobos, as they had their “bye” on Wednesday.
The Aztecs finished non-conference play on a high note, winning the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic over the holidays. They posted a 3-0 record at the event with wins over Southern Miss (66-51), Tulsa (82-63) and San Francisco (62-48).
San Diego State has three players averaging double-figures. Jeremy Hemsley is the leading scorer at 16.2 ppg. He is shooting 56.2 percent from the three, which ranks first in the league. Trey Kell and Zylan Cheatham are the other two players in double digits with 13.9 and 11.8, respectively. Cheatham is the leading rebound at 6.8 per game.
ABOUT THE COACHES
Craig Neal is in his fourth season as head coach of the Lobos and owns a 67-43 career record. Neal is 2-5 against the Aztecs. The last time Neal beat the Aztecs was in the 2014 Mountain West Championship game.
Steve Fisher is the head coach of the San Diego State Aztecs and owns a 560-280 record in his career. He is in his 18th season with SDSU and is 375-199 in his time with the Aztecs.
ABOUT THE SERIES
New Mexico and San Diego State will face off for the 83rd time in program history on Sunday, with the series dating back to Jan. 2, 1976. The Lobos hold an all-time record of 44-38 against the Aztecs.
The home team has largely dominated the series as SDSU is 25-12 against New Mexico in San Diego and the Lobos have won 27 of 38 games inside The Pit.
The past two seasons, SDSU has claimed both series. Last season, the Aztecs won in overtime in San Diego, 78-71 on Feb. 6 and claimed an 83-56 victory inside the Pit on March 1. The last time the Lobos claimed a win over the Aztecs was in the 2014 Mountain West Conference Championship on March 15, 2014, 64-58.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Sunday’s game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network (Comcast 274/838 (HD), DISH 158, DirecTV 221). Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. MT/2 p.m. PT. The game will also be available on the radio on New Mexico’s flagship station 770 KKOB with the broadcast brought to you by Robert Portnoy and Lobo great Hunter Greene. The TuneIn radio app will also be available.