Lobos Open MW Play at Air Force Wednesday

New Mexico at Air Force
Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2018 – 7 p.m. MT
Clune Arena (Capacity: 5,843)

TV: AT&T SportsNet (Channel Finder)
Radio: 770 KKOB-AM

UNM NOTES | AF NOTES | LISTEN | LIVE STATS

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team is set to open Mountain West play on Wednesday, Jan. 2 at Air Force at 7 p.m. The game will mark the conference opener for both teams.

The Lobos (6-6) are coming off of their highest-scoring game of the season, a 103-47 rout of the University of the Southwest in Hobbs, N.M. on Sunday. Air Force (5-7) last competed on Friday, Dec. 28 in which they earned a 72-60 victory over UC Riverside at home. 

In the Lobos’ last game, senior Anthony Mathis jacked up his 3-pointer-per-game average to 3.75, ranking 11th in the nation, after scoring six from behind the arc (18 points) while freshman Drue Drinnon posted a career-high 12 assists, finishing just one away from cracking into the top 10 in the single-season assist records.

Mathis is not only ranked in the top 30 in the country in 3-pointers per game, he is also ranked 20th in free-throw percentage (90.9), 20th in 3-point field goal percentage (46.4) and 27th in total 3-pointers made with 45. With his 12 assists on Sunday, Drinnon now ranks 24th in the nation in assist to turnover ratio (3.25).

The Lobos are on a seven-win streak in Mountain West openers and have not dropped one since Jan. 6, 2011 when they fell to Wyoming, 67-66, in Laramie.

SERIES HISTORY
The Lobos lead the all-time series over Air Force 59-23 and are 3-2 over their last five matchups. Last season, the teams split the series, both earning victories on their home court. The Lobos won by a hefty margin, 87-58 in Albuquerque on Dec. 27 before the Falcons put up 100 on UNM in Colorado on Feb. 10, earning a 100-92 victory. Sophomore Makuach Maluach’s career-high 26 points came in that game.

THE COACHES
Head coach Paul Weir is 25-21 in his second season with the Lobos, 53-27 in his third season as a head coach. Air Force head coach Dave Pilipovich is 77-101 in his eighth season at the helm of the Falcons, the same in his career as a head coach.
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Wednesday’s game will be available to watch on AT&T SportsNet (click HERE for channel finder). Fans can also follow live via live stats (click here) or listen in on the radio LIVE. Robert Portnoy and former Lobo Hunter Greene will be on the call on 770 KKOB-AM (click here to listen).