Boise, Idaho — A 15-1 second-half run was not enough to turn the game around on Wednesday night as The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team suffered a 90-62 loss at the hands of the (RV) Boise State Broncos on the road.
The Broncos (13-2, 3-0 MW) took an early 13-0 lead four minutes into the game after a flawless defensive effort left the Lobos (6-10, 1-2 MW) scoreless until junior Anthony Mathis opened the scoring with a 3-pointer at the 15:40 mark.
The three would mark Mathis’ first of three on the night as the junior went 3-for-7 from behind the arc, 5-of-11 from the floor for a total of 13 points.
The Lobos were led by senior Joe Furstinger who posted 15 points for his fifth straight game scoring in double digits. He finished four rebounds shy of his fifth straight double-double.
Leading the way for Boise State was sophomore Justinian Jessup who posted a career-high 23 points for the Broncos.
“Boise just played a lot harder than we did, especially to start the game,” head coach Paul Weir said. “We just couldn’t finish around the rim. Their length around the rim really bothered us and we left a lot of points there.”
The Lobos shot 34.9 percent from the floor (22-63) compared to 59.4 percent for the Broncos (38-64). UNM was also outshot behind the arc, 22.2-44.4 percent. The Lobos did, however, hold the advantage from the free throw line, shooting 80 percent (12-15) compared to 50 percent (6-12).
UNM also held an edge in turnovers, forcing 17 while committing just 13.
Wednesday’s game snaps the Lobos’ four-win streak over the Broncos as UNM has swept Boise State over the past two seasons.
Boise State led by 23 at the half, 45-22, and extended the lead to its largest of the night, 35, with 11:31 left on the clock in the second half. The lead marks the most of any opponent so far this season.
The Lobos exploded for a 15-1 run to close the gap to 21 points on five points from Furstinger, threes from Mathis and junior Dane Kuiper and two points apiece from seniors Sam Logwood and Antino Jackson. The run lasted 3:08 and was ended by a layup from Boise State’s Robin Jorch to make it 70-47 with 7:51 left.
The Broncos ran away with the game from there, posting a 9-0 run with three minutes left to put the game out of reach.
UNM will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 6 at home against San José State at 7 p.m. on the Mountain West Network.