Lobos Down Aggies in 78-77 Thriller on the Road
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — For the first time in head coach Paul Weir’s tenure, The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team claimed a victory over in-state rival NM State in a thrilling fashion on Thursday night. The contest came down to the final possession and the Lobos took the win 78-77 on the road.
The Lobo victory snaps a five-win streak for the Aggies (2-3) and also marks the first time the Lobos (5-1) have won in Las Cruces since Nov. 15, 2015 when UNM claimed an 83-74 victory. UNM also improves to 122-101 over the Aggies in series history with the win.
The Aggies have suffered just 13 losses at home in the Pan American Center since the 2011-12 season and six of those have come at the hands of the Lobos.
Redshirt-junior JaQuan Lyle once again led the Lobo squad with 24 points on the night going 9-for-14 from the floor, 2-for-5 from three and 4-for-5 from the free throw line. He also posted a pair of assists and three steals. Redshirt-senior Carlton Bragg Jr. also scored in double figures, registering 14 points on the night to go along with six rebounds and a game-high four steals. He also had the only block on the night.
Thursday night’s rebound leader was redshirt-junior Vance Jackson who nearly racked up a double-double with seven rebounds and nine points. Two other players collected nine points including junior Makuach Maluach and redshirt-junior JJ Caldwell.
With seven ties and 12 lead changes, Thursday night’s contest was truly a rivalry battle. The Lobos started out strong with a quick four points but the Aggies roared back to get on top by as many as nine midway through first half before the Lobos chipped the NM State lead back to two with 4:03 left in the half. UNM outscored the Aggies 12-5 over 5:11 and capped the run with a Lyle three before the final media timeout of the first half.
Over the final minutes of the first frame, the Lobos kept playing catchup with NM State, which couldn’t get more than a four-point advantage. A jumper by redshirt-junior Zane Martin with just 23 seconds left made it a two-point game at the half, 39-37 Aggies.
Both teams came out of the locker room on a mission in the second half. NM State’s largest lead was five just 1:39 into the half but over the next two minutes, an 8-2 Lobo run put UNM up by one, 47-46, on a fast-break layup by Maluach. The play marked the first time the Lobos had led since 2:44 into the contest.
NM State quickly took the lead back on a senior Terrell Brown three with 16 minutes left and UNM didn’t regain the lead again until the 11:41 mark when Bragg made a layup to make it 56-54 Lobos.
The game remained tight as neither team led by more than four for the remainder of the contest. UNM got out to a four-point lead on a 7-0 run that was sparked by a three from redshirt-junior Keith McGee and four straight points in the paint by senior Corey Manigault, 67-63 Lobos.
The squads tied the contest three more times, including on a fast-break jumper from Caldwell with just 1:33 left to play, 75-75.
Caldwell was fouled on the play and made the and-1 to put the Lobos back up by one, 76-75, and that’s when things got interesting.
The Aggies went back up by one with 1:17 left, but the next 28 seconds were full of fouls and game stoppage before Bragg hit a pair of free throws to give the Lobos another one-point advantage, 78-77
Throughout the final 43 seconds, the Lobo defense battled on the Aggie end of the court, forcing a pair of turnovers while committing two of its own. The referees continued to review the plays and possession changed back and forth. Just as the Lobos looked to head down court for a chance at extending the lead, the Aggies would get the ball back for another chance at the win.
The Lobo defense however, kept the Aggies from getting off a good shot, without fouling, and NM State senior Shunn Buchanan attempted a 3-point buzzer beater and missed for the 78-77 final.
On the night, the Lobos outshot the Aggies from the floor 53.8 percent to 43.8 percent. The Lobos also outperformed the Aggies from 3-point range 26.7 percent (4-15) to 21.2 percent (7-33).
Both teams collected seven steals, NM State registered 17 assists to UNM’s 10 and the Aggies outrebounded UNM 37-29.
UNM led for just 6:31 of the contest before delivering the loss in the final minutes.
The Lobos are set to return to action on Monday, Nov. 25 and Tuesday, Nov. 26 in Brooklyn New York for the 2019 Roman Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper. The Lobos will kick off play in New York against 2019 Final Four participant (and currently undefeated) Auburn on Monday before taking on either Wisconsin or Richmond Tuesday.