New Mexico Drops Road Contest at San Diego State
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The New Mexico men’s basketball team capped its January schedule with a 72-47 loss at San Diego State on Monday night. The Lobos (8-14, 1-8) scored a season-low 47 points as the Aztecs (12-5, 4-2) led wire-to-wire.
KJ Jenkins led the Lobos with 16 points, 14 coming In the second half, along with a season-high nine rebounds. Jamal Mashburn, Jr. added 10 points for New Mexico, while Taryn Todd matched his Mountain West high with eight points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Aztecs jumped out to an early 7-2 lead over the first three minutes. A 7-0 San Diego State run pushed the advantage to 18-9 with 13:00 to go before SDSU held a 22-15 edge at the midway point of the half. San Diego State used a 11-0 run to take a 36-20 lead with 2:30 to play en route to a 36-22 advantage at halftime. Mashburn had nine first-half points to lead the Lobos.
In the second half, the Aztecs scored the first seven points to extend the lead to 43-22 with 18:15 to play. San Diego State held a 54-34 lead at the midway point of the half before pushing the lead to 59-34 with 8:15 to play. SDSU would lead by as many as 28 down the stretch before finishing the 72-47 win.
LOBO NOTES
• Jamal Mashburn, Jr. scored in double figures for the 21st time in 22 games this season
• KJ Jenkins scored in double figures for the 11th time this season
• The Lobos’ 22 first-half points tied a season low for a half (first half vs. Boise State on Jan. 15)
QUOTABLE
“Their size disrupted and bothered us. You could tell they are older stronger and longer and that took us out of our rhythm offensively. They are a terrific defensive team. If we didn’t hit about 13 threes, we probably weren’t going to have a chance. It is one of those games where you learn from it. I told them after the game, it isn’t going to happen overnight, but you have to commit to getting bigger and stronger in the offseason. Being strong is an advantage and they showed that tonight.” – Head Coach Richard Pitino
UP NEXT
The Lobos will conclude the two-game road trip with a visit to Air Force on Saturday night. Game time is 6 p.m. MT and the game will air on CBS Sports Network.