Lobos Host In-State Rival NM State Saturday at 5
New Mexico vs NM State
Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019 – 5:06 p.m. MT
Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit (Capacity: 15,411)
TV: AT&T SportsNet (Channel Finder)
Radio: 770 KKOB-AM (Listen Live)
Promos:
Students Receive Free Pizza – Students in attendance on Saturday will get free pizza prior to the game!
Student Guest Passes – Students with family and friends in town for graduation are reminded they can bring their loved ones to the student section with them for a $10 guest pass (online or in person)
UNM NOTES | NMSU NOTES | LIVE STATS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — After claiming a narrow one-point victory (78-77) over the NM State Aggies (6-5) in Las Cruces earlier this season, The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (9-2) is set to host its in-state rival at home on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 5 p.m. With less than 1,000 tickets available for sale, Lobo fans are in for an exciting matchup in Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit Saturday evening.
UNM enters Saturday’s Rio Grande Rivalry contest riding a four-win streak that includes a 2-0 start to Mountain West play. The Lobos’ 9-2 start to the season marks the best 11-game start since the 2012-13 season when the Lobos went 12-0.
NM State is 2-2 in its last four matchups including wins over UTEP and Denver and losses against George Mason and Washington State.
The Lobos are led by four players scoring in double figures including redshirt-senior JaQuan Lyle (17.7), redshirt-senior Carlton Bragg Jr. (12.6), senior Corey Manigault (10.5) and junior Makuach Maluach (10.2). Bragg leads UNM in rebounds with 10.0 per game.
Lyle earned his second Mountain West Player of the Week honor this week after averaging 22.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in UNM’s first two MW contests. He went 13-for-15 from the free throw line while shooting 44.8 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from behind the arc on the week.
In UNM’s 80-78 victory over Boise State at home on Wednesday, Lyle tied his career-high 31 points firing at a clip of 58.8 percent from the floor (10-17) and 42.9 percent from 3-point range (3-7).
The Aggies are led by senior Trevelin Queen (14.9) and redshirt-sophomore Jabari Rice (13.0) from the floor while Queen also leads NM State in rebounding with 5.5 per game.
In a nifty Lobo Connection, NM State’s Trevelin Queen transferred to NM State after competing at New Mexico Military Academy (NNMI), where he was coached by current Lobo director of operations Ralph Davis.
LOBOS IN THE NATION
Below is a look at how the Lobos rank in some of the national stats:
2nd – free throw attempts (274)
3rd – free throws made (198)
14th – total assists (178)
25th – total rebounds (421)
Individuals:
8th – JaQuan Lyle – FT attempts (70)
9th – JaQuan Lyle – FT made (53)
11th – Carlton Bragg Jr. – total rebounds (110)
15th – JJ Caldwell – total assists (62)
17th – JJ Caldwell – total steals (25)
31st – JaQuan Lyle – total points (195)
SERIES HISTORY
The Lobos lead the series over the Aggies 122-101 after UNM claimed the first win over the Aggies in Coach Paul Weir’s tenure on Nov. 21 on the road. The victory shattered a five-win streak for NM State over the Lobos.
In the teams’ last meeting, UNM pulled off a narrow 78-77 victory on the road in Las Cruces to improve to 47-61 in the Pan American Center.
At home, the Lobos hold a 74-40 advantage over the Aggies but have dropped the last two contests between the squads in Albuquerque. Prior to that, UNM had won three straight inside Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit making UNM 3-2 at home in the last five meetings in The Pit.
The last time the Lobos topped NM State in Albuquerque was on Nov. 18, 2016 (72-59).
THE COACHES
Head coach Paul Weir is 42-35 in his third year at the helm of the Lobos, 70-41 in his fourth season as a head coach. NM State head coach Chris Jans is 64-16 in his third season at the helm of the Aggies and is 85-28 in his career.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday’s game will be available to watch live on AT&T SportsNet (Channel Finder). Fans can also follow live via live stats or listen in on the radio LIVE. Robert Portnoy and former Lobo Hunter Greene will be on the call on 770 KKOB-AM.