Mathis Scores 19, Lobos Struggle to Hold On
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In a game with nine lead changes in which the Lobos led for over 13 minutes, The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team struggled to hold onto the lead on Saturday night and ultimately fell to third-place Fresno State by a final score of 82-70.
The Lobos led by as many as nine in the first half but went into the locker room down by two at the break. Fresno State outscored UNM by 10 points in the second frame as the Lobo offense shot just 29.7 percent in the second half.
Senior Anthony Mathis netted 19 points on six threes and a free throw. He has now tallied 12 or more points in 17-of-21 games this season. Redshirt-junior Carlton Bragg registered a career-high 15 rebounds to go along with seven points.
Two other Lobos scored in double figures on the night including redshirt-sophomores Vance Jackson (16) and Keith McGee (10). Jackson has now scored 10 or more points in the last 12 straight games.
“We started out the game really well defensively, I thought we did some good things, and then you look up at halftime and you’re down two,” head coach Paul Weir said. “I thought we played really well the first 20 minutes… (but) that early to middle part of that second half … the defensive game plan went a little south.
“The results are the results, but we have to find a way offensively to get more than Anthony Mathis going.”
The Bulldogs were led by three players in double figures including a pair of 20-point scorers in Braxton Huggins (22) and Deshon Taylor (20). Nate Grimes also had a big night tallying a double-double with 19 points and a Save Mart Center-record 19 rebounds.
The Lobos started out strong, jumping out to a nine-point advantage just 5:41 into the contest, 16-7. The 8-0 run included four points from Bragg and a three from Mathis, along with a layup from sophomore Makuach Maluach.
Fresno State responded and eventually closed the gap to one, 19-18, with 8:15 left in the first half. The teams battled throughout the remainder of the period, tying the game four times in the final six and a half minutes, including with 1:02 left. A McGee free throw made it 32-32 and another by Bragg put the Lobos up by one with 24 seconds left.
The Bulldogs’ Taylor hit a jumper and-one to take the two-point advantage heading into the break.
The Lobos slipped into a five-point deficit with 16:28 on the clock in the second half and it looked like the game was about to get out of control, but UNM rebounded and tied it up at the 12:41 mark, 48-48, on a steal and a coast-to-coast three from Mathis.
Mathis TIES IT UP 48-48 with a steal and a THREE! (his fourth of the night). #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/WdKJPgdhFj
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) February 3, 2019
The tie marked the last however, as UNM had the game at one on a McGee three at the 9:41 mark, 54-53, but an ensuing 13-3 Fresno State run put the game out of reach at 11 points, 67-56, with 6:49 left to play.
The Lobos cut the game back to single digits three times, but would get no closer than nine points the rest of the way.
Both teams amassed a significant amount of fouls as the Lobos totaled 23 to Fresno State’s 21. Both squads had its leading scorer foul out – UNM’s Mathis fouled out with 1:18 left to play while Fresno State’s Huggins fouled out with 1:49 left.
On the night, UNM was outscored in the paint 42-20 and 17-9 in second-chance points, but the Lobos scored 11 fast-break points to none for the Bulldogs while also outscoring Fresno State’s bench 44-12. UNM exercised its ball-handling skills on the night, turning the ball over just 10 times, 4.75 less than its season average. Conversely, the Lobos forced 15 from the Bulldogs.
Fresno State fired at a clip of 44.4 percent from the floor (28-63), 20 percent from three (4-20) while the Lobos were 31.9 (22-69) from the field and an uncharacteristically-low 21.6 percent from 3-point range (8-37).
The Lobos have a short turnaround as they take on San Diego State for the second time this season on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 9 p.m. Mountain Time on ESPN2.