Late Energy Burst Too Late, Lobos Fall at SJSU
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Despite a 14-point lead in the first half, The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (13-3, 2-1 MW) dropped a narrow, three-point final to the San José State Spartans (5-10, 1-2 MW) on the road on Wednesday. Despite the outcome, UNM had a pair of 25-point scorers including redshirt-senior JaQuan Lyle who registered his 1,000th career point in the contest.
The loss marks just the third to the Spartans in program history and the second straight on the road in the series. It also marks just the third Lobo New Year’s Day loss in program history and snaps an eight-win streak that started Nov. 26 against Wisconsin.
It was Lyle and redshirt-junior Vance Jackson who led UNM with 25 points apiece while Jackson also posted a UNM career-high 13 rebounds for his first double-double of the season, his sixth as a Lobo. The pair combined for 20 points over the final stretch as the Lobos nearly executed an 18-point comeback to win in the final seconds.
Lyle also nearly posted a double-double in points and assists as he dished eight on the night while collecting a team-high three steals. The pair were joined in the double-digit scoring club by senior Corey Manigault (15 pts, 7 rebs) and redshirt-sophomore Vante Hendrix (13 pts, 5 rebs).
After a close first five minutes of the matchup, the Lobos exploded on a 17-2 run over 4:12 that put UNM up 23-9 at the 13:09 mark, but the Spartans rallied back with a 17-3 run to tie it up just 3:43 later, 26-26, with 9:26 left to play in the half. The squads battled and with the score tied 33-33 with 5:14 left in the first frame, it was SJSU that again broke free, finishing the last five minutes on a 13-3 run for a 10-point Lobo halftime deficit.
The Spartans led 46-36 at the break marking just the second time this season UNM has trailed by 10 or more at the break, the first was against Auburn on Nov. 25.
Despite being down by 10 at the half, UNM was outshooting SJSU from the floor 48.3 – 45.9 percent however, the Spartans had capitalized on 10 Lobo turnovers, converting 20 points, compared to just three points on just two SJSU turnovers in the first half. UNM left seven points at the free throw line, shooting 41.7 percent (5-12) through the first half from the stripe.
San José State increased its lead to as much as 18 points with 12:46 left to play before the Lobos began chipping away at the Spartan lead. It was at the 8:03 mark that a Manigault dunk made it a single-digit game, 68-59, and the Lobos’ fighting spirit returned.
A pair of Jackson free throws with just less than seven minutes on the clock again made it a single-digit game (eight points) and a Lyle layup made it seven (72-65) before SJSU jumped back out by 13 with 5:17 left.
It was in the final 2:17 that the Lobos really turned on the gas.
SJSU led by 10 points on a jumper by senior Brae Ivey before Jackson and Hendrix nailed back-to-back threes to make it a four-point game, 84-80, with 1:07 left, sparking the Lobo bench and Lobo fans in attendance.
The threes kicked off an eventual 11-0 run that included a pair of Lyle free throws with 1:01 on the clock and a Martin layup to tie it up at 84-84 with less than 15 seconds left, causing SJSU to call a timeout
Zane Martin ties it up at 84-84 with 14.9 left! SJSU calls a timeout. #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/hXuKZASyT1
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) January 2, 2020
Martin drew a foul in the paint and was awarded the and-one, which he made to put UNM up for the first time since the 5:14 mark in the first half, 85-84.
The Lobo defense attempted to retain the lead, but the breakout shooter of the night, junior Richard Washington, who headed into the contest averaging 7.4 points per game, sunk his seventh 3-pointer of the night to put SJSU back up by two, 87-85, with eight seconds left and the Lobos took a full timeout.
UNM reclaimed possession and hoped to reclaim the lead, but a fast dribble down the court with three seconds left resulted in another UNM turnover, kicked out of bounds, and the ball was given back to the Spartans, up by two.
An intentional Lobo foul to stop the clock allowed Ivey to register one more from the stripe to make it 88-85 and the Spartans took their final timeout, followed by UNM’s final timeout as the Lobos attempted to work up one final play to tie it.
With less than two seconds on the clock, the Lobos attempted to bring the ball in from under the opposite basket and Lyle took a pass at half court, turned and shot the long three, but the ball hit the rim for the 88-85 final as time expired.
On the night, the Lobos outshot from the floor (49.2 – 47.8), but fired just 6-for-24 from three-point range (25 percent) compared to 12-for-33 for the Spartans. UNM committed 18 turnovers compared to just 12 for SJSU that resulted in 29 points for the Spartans compared to just 15 for UNM.
The Lobos return home for a pair of conference contests, starting with Fresno State on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 9 p.m. MT on ESPNU.