Lobos Suffer 77-69 Loss to UTEP
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico men’s basketball team fell to UTEP 77-69 on Sunday afternoon at The Pit. The Miners (5-4) used a 16-1 run to open the second half to take control of the game and hand the Lobos (6-5) their second home loss of the season.
Javonte Johnson tied a career high with 16 points to lead the Lobos, while also grabbing nine rebounds. Gethro Muscadin had 14 points while Saquan Singleton set season-highs of 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists. KJ Jenkins added 11 points for New Mexico.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game remained close early before UTEP took a 19-13 lead at the midway point of the half. The Miners extended the lead to eight before a technical called on the Miners sparked a Lobo 9-3 surge that cut the lead to 25-23 with 7:30 in the half. Both teams were cold from the floor towards the end of the half as UTEP took a 33-30 lead into the break. Muscadin led the Lobos in the first half with 11 points.
In the second half, UTEP started on a 16-1 run to push its lead to 49-31 with 13:40 to play. The Lobos went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 50-42 at the midway point of the half. The Miners used a 9-0 run push the lead to 63-45 with 5:45 to go before the Lobos closed the gap to 77-69 over the final few minutes.
LOBO NOTES
• For the second straight game, the Lobos’ leading scorer had all his points in the second half
• New Mexico fell to 0-5 when scoring under 80 points this season (6-0 when scoring at least 80)
• Muscadin scored in double figures for the sixth time this season
• Johnson scored in double figures for the sixth time this season
• Jenkins scored in double figures for the fourth time this season
• Singleton scored in double figures for the first time this season
QUOTABLE
“I was disappointed with a lot today. We are further away than maybe we think that we are. It is going to take some time to build the toughness and discipline that we clearly don’t have through the face of adversity. Things are going to happen, but you need to move on to the next play. It is on me and the coaching staff to fix it and we have all week to work on it. The group that was out there in the final few minutes, that’s what Lobo basketball needs to be all about.” – Head Coach Richard Pitino
UP NEXT
The Lobos will be off for one week for finals before returning to action next Sunday (Dec. 19) against SMU. Game time at The Pit is 1 p.m. and the game will be available online on Stadium. New Mexico has won all three previous meetings, all coming in the late 1990s when both teams were in the WAC.