Lobos Fall at UNLV Saturday

LAS VEGAS, Nev — As the tough 2020-21 season continues, The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team dropped its seventh conference game of the season on Saturday, a 77-54 final to UNLV on the road.

The Lobos (4-7, 0-7 MW) were hoping for their first conference win of the season over the Runnin’ Rebels (3-6, 1-2 MW) after a victory at Dixie State on Wednesday, but 19- and 20-point scoring efforts from key UNLV players squelched the hope for UNM.

Senior Cheikh Mbacke Diong and junior Bryce Hamilton combined for 39 of UNLV’s 77 points on the night despite the Lobos’ best efforts. Hamilton entered the game as one of UNLV’s leading scorers with 20 points per game in conference play, joined by junior David Jenkins, Jr. who posted 25.5 ppg in MW play heading into the contest. The Lobos limited Jenkins Jr. to just nine points on the night, but were not able to contain Hamilton. In the first half however, the pair combined for just nine points.

The Lobos were led by senior Makuach Maluach and junior Valdir Manuel who scored 13 and 10 points, respectively. Redshirt-freshman Bayron Matos nearly registered his second double-double of the season with eight points and seven boards while junior Saquan Singleton posted seven points, five rebounds and three assists.

UNLV got out to a fast 10-point lead, 12-2, in the first five minutes and extended the lead to as much as 15, 22-7, but the run was halted by a three from Lobo freshman Javonté Johnson.

Johnson’s three sparked a 10-point Lobo run to put UNM back in the game. Junior Rod Brown followed just 31 seconds later with a layup and less than a minute after that, Johnson hit another triple to knock the UNLV lead back to seven, 22-15. Maluach capped the run with a jumper to make it a five-point game, 22-17.

UNLV took off again, however, and amassed an 11-point lead at the half, 37-26.

The Lobos struck first in the second half with a layup from Matos but the Runnin’ Rebels ran away with the game for the 23-point final.

New Mexico and UNLV are set for a rematch on Monday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. MT / 6:30 p.m. PT on FS1.

Postgame Notes

• UNLV now leads the series 38-25
• The Runnin’ Rebels lead in the Thomas & Mack Center, 22-9
• UNLV has now won the last five contests between the teams dating back to Jan. 8, 2019

TEAM NOTES:

• UNM’s lineup consisted of Marin, Singleton, Maluach, Brown and Matos
  • The lineup is now 0-3 on the season
• UNLV narrowly outrebounded the Lobos 36-31 while outscoring UNM 34-16 in the paint
• The Runnin’ Rebels shot 50.9 percent to UNM’s 33.3.
• UNLV continued its season tradition of 10 or more threes per game while the Lobos went 3-for-18 from behind the arc
• The Lobos shot 73.9 percent from the free throw line marking the fifth time this season UNM has shot over 70 percent from the stripe and the third time in the last four games
  • Senior Makuach Maluach finished a perfect 4-for-4 from the line while two other Lobos finished near perfect including junior Saquan Singleton (7-9), sophomore Jeremiah Francis III (1-2) and redshirt-freshman Bayron Matos (4-6).
• New Mexico posted its best run of the day midway through the first half, 10-0, before the Runnin’ Rebels ran away with the game
  • UNLV’s largest run was also 10-0 early in the first
• UNLV led for 38:11 and posted its largest lead of 26 points with 3:55 left in the game.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

• Senior Makuach Maluach started his 67th career contest and played a team-high 30 minutes on the night.
  • He also competed in his 110th career game
  • With his 13 points, he now posts 1,108 career points and ranks 28th in Lobo history.
    • Maluach is 37 points away from passing former Lobo great David Chiotti (1,145)
      • Chiotti was on Weir’s staff as UNM’s director of player development when Maluach was a freshman
• Freshman Javonté Johnson scored six points on the night on a pair of key back-to-back threes during the Lobos’ 10-0 run
  • The triples mark just the third and fourth of his career and the first time he has hit more than one in a game.
    • He was 2-for-3 from 3-point range
• Two Lobos led with double figures including Maluach (13) and junior Valdir Manuel (10)
  • Maluach’s points mark the ninth time this season he has registered double figures, the 53rd in his career
  • Manuel has now scored in double figures twice as a Lobo
• Matos nearly posted his second double double of the season with eight points and seven rebounds
• Singleton also helped lead UNM with seven points and five boards