Lobos Suffer Defeat at No. 6 Nevada
RENO, Nev. — After handing the top-ranked team in the Mountain West its only loss of the season in the first meeting, The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team suffered a loss in its rematch with No. 6 Nevada on Saturday evening, 91-62, in Reno. Sophomore Makuach Maluach led the Lobos with 19 points.
The Lobos (10-13, 4-7 MW) topped No. 6 Nevada (23-1, 10-1 MW) by 27 points in Albuquerque and the Wolf Pack responded with a 29-point victory in their home arena Saturday.
Nevada was led by five players scoring in double figures including a pair of 20-point scorers in seniors Trey Porter and Caleb Martin. UNM was led by Maluach with 19 points and seven rebounds followed by redshirt-junior Carlton Bragg who scored 13 points and posted a team-high eight rebounds. Redshirt-sophomore Keith McGee was UNM’s third-leading scorer with nine points.
“Nevada was really good tonight, they established themselves around the rim defensively and they really established themselves around the rim offensively,” head coach Paul Weir said. “I thought (Trey) Porter was terrific tonight and them as a group, they just won that war around the paint. Our post feeds were way off the lane and their post feeds were in the paint.
“Those were the things that really stuck out to me the most (tonight). Our ability to take care of the ball and their ability to control the rim area.”
Highlights of the night included that UNM held Nevada to just six threes on the day while forcing the most Wolf Pack turnovers of the season (17). Prior to Saturday’s contest, Nevada averaged just 9.6 turnovers per game.
The Lobos and the Wolf Pack battled through the first five minutes of the contest, but Nevada slowly crept out to a 12-point lead at the 14:48 mark and it increased from there. The sixth-ranked team in the nation opened on a 25-4 run over the first 10:13 before a dunk from junior Corey Manigault gave the Lobo offense some spark.
Just 14 seconds later, senior Anthony Mathis hit his first of two threes of the game to cut the once 21-point deficit to 16, 25-9.
Nevada followed with a 9-0 run to get back up by 25 with 6:44 left on the clock.
The Wolf Pack got the lead up to 29 before Maluach hit a layup, a free throw and a three for six points within 30 seconds to make it a 23-point game, 49-26.
Nevada eclipsed 50 points in the first half behind a combined 21 points from the Martin twins, Cody and Caleb, marking the first time UNM has allowed an opponent to score 50 or more points in the first half since New Mexico State on Dec. 4 on the road.
The Lobos went into the locker room down 25, 51-26, with three players in foul trouble including Manigault, Mathis and Bragg, each with three. At the break, UNM had forced eight turnovers. The Lobo defense also held Nevada from three-point range as the first half closed, including a 1-of-7 stint from behind the arc.
The Lobos fared better from the floor in the second half, shooting 40 percent (12-30) but Nevada shot an even 50 percent from the floor in both the first and second halves to finish 34-for-68 on the day.
Bragg hit 11 of his 13 points in the second half in an attempt to power the Lobos to a comeback, but despite the improved Lobo performance throughout the second 20 minutes, the Wolf Pack would lead by no less than 24 points throughout the remainder of the contest.
Overall, Nevada outscored UNM in the paint 42-20, off of turnovers 22-9 and in second-chance points 11-9. New Mexico’s bench outscored that of Nevada 23-15 and both teams registered 10 fast-break points.
The Lobos will host a pair of contests in Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit this week as they take on San José State on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. on AT&T SportsNet before hosting Fresno State on Saturday, Feb. 16 on ESPN3.