Lobos Heating Up, Edge Boise State on Senior Night
BOX SCORE (PDF) | PHOTO GALLERY | POST-GAME NOTES | POST-GAME QUOTES
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team is heating up at the right time – heading into the close of the regular season and into the conference tournament – after edging Boise State 73-72 at home inside Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit on Senior Night Wednesday.
Following the evening’s matchup, seniors Dane Kuiper and Anthony Mathis were honored in front of over 10,000 fans, accompanied by friends and family after their four years as Lobos.
“That’s the perfect way to end,” Mathis said. “We all finally came together and played for one another. Everyone kept saying ‘let’s do it for the seniors’ and I really appreciate it. It’s been a crazy year and to just finally come together and win one of those close games (is great.)”
Mathis hit a pair of threes on Wednesday night to put him at 100 3-pointers this season, just three away from breaking the UNM single-season 3-pointer record (102 set in 1998-99 by Kevin Henry). He also ranks fifth in program history in career 3-pointers with 216 and extended his 3-pointer streak to 22 games for tie for fourth in UNM history.
A clutch 3-pointer from sophomore Makuach Maluach put the Lobos ahead by just one point, 73-72, with 1:27 left on the clock as UNM attempted to close out the back-and-forth match that saw eight lead changes and six ties. After a pair of missed Lobo free throws with 8.2 seconds left on the clock it was the Broncos to get the defensive rebound and one last chance at the win.
Boise State drove down the court and worked to the right wing, where Kuiper was waiting. He swatted the ball and collected the steal, his 26th of the season, to seal the victory for UNM.
“It felt great that I could contribute something to the team and win a game by doing it (getting the steal),” Kuiper said. “I just saw him bring that ball up and I swiped at it, and I got it. So it’s a great feeling, on Senior Night especially.”
Senior Dane Kuiper seals the win for UNM with a steal!#GoLobos pic.twitter.com/T7AQFAXbH0
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) March 7, 2019
“Dane Kuiper is one of the best defenders I’ve ever played with, or against,” Mathis said. It’s a picture-perfect ending.”
The Lobos led by as many as 13, 38-25, with 4:24 left in the first half when Boise State cut it to 10 points on a layup and a jumper split by a Maluach free throw, 39-29.
Sophomore Keith McGee, who totaled 11 points on the night, hit a layup to make it a 12-point game at the half, 41-29.
The Broncos came out hot in the second half, going on an 11-2 run that included a pair of threes by leading scorers Justinian Jessup and Derrick Alston, cutting the UNM lead to just three, 43-40, with 15:13 on the clock. Jessup and Alston led all players in scoring on the night with 23 points apiece.
Junior Corey Manigault, who led the Lobos on the night with 19 points, just one shy of his UNM career high, scored the next four straight points on free throws to put the Lobos back up by seven, 47-40. A BSU dunk took it back to five but Manigault hit a jumper and Maluach nailed a pair from the stripe to push the Lobo lead back to nine, 51-42, with 13:15 left.
Manigault scored the first eight points for UNM in the second half and finished 5-for-11 from the field but a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. He led four Lobos to score in double figures including redshirt-sophomore Vance Jackson (12), McGee (11) and redshirt-junior Carlton Bragg (11). Bragg also racked up a team-high nine rebounds, just short of his third double-double of the season while collecting three blocks.
The squads tied the contest four more times en route to the 73-72 final. Last time Boise State visited Albuquerque, the Broncos came away with a 73-71 win with a last-minute comeback on Feb. 6, 2018.
With the win, the Lobos are now tied for seventh in the Mountain West standings and could possibly finish sixth, seventh or eighth on the season heading into the tournament.
On the night, the Broncos outshot UNM 47.4 percent to 41.5 percent for the Lobos and 40.0 – 38.5 percent from behind the arc. UNM did, however, outrebound Boise State 35-29 marking the third straight game that UNM has dominated the boards.
The Lobos return to action on Saturday, March 9 as they travel to Wyoming for their season finale at 4 p.m. MT on ESPN3.
Highlights from @UNMLoboMBB 73-72 win over Boise State. #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/TZVAsmfcHe
— New Mexico Lobos (@UNMLOBOS) March 7, 2019