Jackson Posts Double-Double; Lobos Fall at CSU
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Despite having four players score in double figures and redshirt-sophomore Vance Jackson register his third double-double of the season, The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team fell to Colorado State by a score of 91-76 on Saturday afternoon on the road.
With the loss, the Lobos fall to 8-8, 2-2 MW, while CSU improves to 7-10, 2-2 MW.
Jackson led the Lobos with 18 points, 12 rebounds and four steals, followed by senior Anthony Mathis who, after scoring just five points in the first half (2-for-2, 1-for-1 from three), racked up 11 in the second half en route to 16 points.
The other two Lobos to hit double figures included sophomore Makuach Maluach who went 3-for-7 from three, and senior Dane Kuiper, who netted all 10 of his points in the first half going 4-for-7 from the floor, 2-for-5 from behind the arc to open the contest. He shot just once more in the second 20 minutes.
Colorado State had five players score in double figures, led by redshirt-junior Hyron Edwards who racked up a season-high 20 points in a season-most 28 minutes. The last time UNM allowed five scorers in double figures was on Nov. 24 against UTEP.
Both teams were on point from the floor throughout the game as neither fired below 40 percent for the entirety of the contest. The Lobos shot 47.3 percent on the day and entered Saturday’s game 6-2 when scoring between 40.0 and 49.9 percent (2-1 in MW play). The Lobos also went 12-for-29 from behind the arc for 41.4 percent.
Despite the lofty Lobo numbers, Colorado State ultimately outshot UNM at 56.1 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from three.
Turnovers again proved to be a problem for the Lobos as New Mexico turned the ball over 17 times to just nine for the Rams. Colorado State capitalized on UNM’s miscues as it converted the 17 Lobo turnovers into 24 points in the eventual 15-point loss. The Rams also dominated in the paint, outscoring UNM 44-22 in the key.
“I thought they came out of the gate making a lot of really good shots,” head coach Paul Weir said. “Toward the end of the first half and through most of the second half, I thought our defense was pretty good, unfortunately when you turn the ball over like that against a team with that kind of speed, you’re not even giving yourselves a chance. Just to allow 24 points off of turnovers is hard for any defense.”
The refs were quick to the whistle to kick off Saturday afternoon’s matchup as Jackson registered his first point off of a free throw just 11 seconds into the game to put the Lobos on top 1-0. Three straight CSU 3-pointers however over a one-minute span quickly put the Rams up by eight at the 17:37 mark, 9-1.
A layup from Mathis and a successful and-1 for redshirt-sophomore Keith McGee cut the deficit back to three, 9-6, but the Rams pushed their lead to nine on a layup by their season’s leading scorer Nico Carvacho. Mathis followed by hitting his first three of the night to cut it back to a six-point game, 19-13 with 13:36 left to play in the half.
The teams battled back and forth but Maluach hit a three at the 12:33 mark to make it a four-point game, 22-18, but CSU followed with a 12-5 run over the next 4:57 to get out to an 11-point advantage.
The Rams increased it to 13 before Kuiper and Jackson hit back-to-back threes within 26 seconds to make it a seven-point game, 42-35 with 1:20 left.
Despite an and-one from redshirt-junior Carlton Bragg with 21 seconds left, the Rams pushed the lead back to double figures, 48-38, at the half.
The Lobos cut the CSU lead back to single digits just twice more after the break, the last time at the 12:17 mark of the second half on a jumper by junior Corey Manigault, 57-49 Rams, before Colorado state went on a 7-0 run to make it a 16-point game, 65-49, and put the game out of reach. The Lobos would get no closer than 13, which came on the next play on a three from Jackson, 65-52.
Over the final 1:38, UNM cut a 25-point deficit down to 15 on a furious comeback rally attempt with threes from Mathis, Jackson and Maluach, along with a free throw from sophomore Vladimir Pinchuk, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Ram lead.
The Lobos were outscored by the Rams by a 10-point margin in the first half and a five-point margin in the second. On the day, the teams finished evenly matched on the glass, 31-30 in favor of the Rams. UNM shot 63.2 percent from the free-throw line (12-19) compared to 80.0 percent for CSU.
Other standouts on the day include McGee, who finished with eight points and a team-high five assists, along with Bragg who scored five points, registered six rebounds and posted one block.
The Lobos are set to return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 15 at San Diego State at 9 p.m. MT.