Lobo Comeback Falls Short; Nevada Sweeps Series
BOX SCORE (PDF) | PHOTO GALLERY | POST-GAME NOTES | POST-GAME QUOTES
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team battled back from a 16-point deficit with an 8-0 run on Tuesday night, but it wasn’t enough as the Lobos fell to the visiting Wolf Pack by a final score of 88-74 inside Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit. UNM was led by four players in double figures in the game that saw three lead changes and five ties.
UNM (17-11, 6-9 MW) is now 14-3 inside The Pit on the season while former Lobo head coach Steve Alford, now at the helm of the Wolf Pack, earned his 17th win of the season, 10th in conference play. Nevada improves to 17-10, 10-5 in league competition and takes sole possession of third place in the MW standings. UNM remains in seventh.
“Every time we seemed like we were on the verge of something, somebody on their team stepped up and made a big shot,” head coach Paul Weir said. “You have to give them credit for being able to go on the road and shoot that way and make those big shots.”
It was clear from the outset of the game that the energy in Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit was going to be high – and it stayed that way. Lobo fans remained on their feet for the first 2:08 that included seven possessions as the two teams battled to be the first to score. It was UNM junior Makuach Maluach, who finished the night with 11 points for his second straight game in double figures, that scored the first bucket on a fast-break layup to give the Lobos their first advantage.
His basket was followed 33 seconds later on the next possession by a three from Nevada’s Jazz Johnson, who registered 15 points on the night, shifting the advantage to the Wolf Pack and the teams were off from there.
The 3-pointer was the first of 13 for the Wolf Pack marking the 14th time UNM’s opponent has scored 10 or more from behind the arc, the fifth time in the last seven games.
The Lobos also scored from deep on the night however, registering 11 threes for just the sixth time this season hitting 10 or more. Over the last nine games, UNM has scored 10 or more threes in five of them.
Nevada extended its lead to six by the 13:15 mark but a 6-0 Lobo run on threes from senior JaQuan Lyle, who finished the night with a team-high 16 points, and redshirt-junior Vance Jackson, who finished with 15, tied it back up, 14-14, with 11:45 left on the clock in the first half.
Lobos on a 6-0 run to tie it 14-14 at the under-12 media timeout! Lyle and Jackson with the triples. #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/yvQq1scRpr
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) February 19, 2020
The squads tied the game again at 20-20 (9:37), 25-25 (7:22) and 28-28 (6:16) before Nevada began to build its lead that it would not relinquish. The Wolf Pack went on a 15-5 run over 4:12 to take a 10-point lead with 2:04 left in the half on the way to a nine-point halftime score of 44-35, Nevada.
At the break, Jackson led the Lobos with 10 points marking his third time this season registering double figures in the first half.
Nevada built a 16-point lead midway through the second half at the 12:40 mark but the Lobos responded with an 8-0 run sparked by a Maluach jumper and ended by a crowd-pleasing alley-oop from redshirt-junior Zane Martin to Maluach to again make it an eight-point game, 63-55, with 10:34 left. The momentum shift forced Alford to call a Wolf Pack timeout.
Lobos on an 8-0 run with this Martin –> Maluach ALLEY-OOP! Alford calls Nevada’s first timeout of the second half. 63-55 Wolf Pack with 10:23 left. #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/cUscI5ovBG
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) February 19, 2020
Nevada came out of the timeout with a 9-2 run that included a pair of threes from senior Lindsey Drew and made it a 15-point game with 7:34 left. UNM responded with its own 9-2 run that included four points from Jackson and two apiece for Martin and redshirt-sophomore Vante Hendrix to cut the Lobo deficit back to eight, 74-66, with just 5:12 left.
Nevada took off over the final 4:20 and built a game-high 17-point lead with 52 seconds left en route to the win.
The Wolf Pack was led by junior Jalen Harris who registered 26 points on the night marking his sixth straight game scoring 25 points or more. Harris has registered double figures in all but two games this season and has collected 538 points on the year.
New Mexico was outshot from the floor 50.0 – 38.8 percent and edged from behind the arc 38.2 – 32.4 percent.
UNM has a pair of road contests as it wraps up the end of the 2019-20 regular season. The Lobos head to Boise State on Sunday, Feb. 23 before traveling to Air Force on Wednesday, Feb. 26. The Lobos will conclude the regular season with senior night on Saturday, Feb. 29 against Utah State.