New Mexico Falls to Nevada 79-72 in Mountain West Tournament
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The New Mexico men’s basketball team saw its 2021-22 season come to a end with a 79-72 loss to Nevada on Wednesday in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Lobos conclude the season at 13-18, while the Wolf Pack (13-17) advance to play top-seeded Boise State in the quarterfinals.
Jaelen House led the Lobos with 19 points and seven assists. Jamal Mashburn, Jr. had 15 points, while Javonte Johnson added 14 points and KJ Jenkins scored 11 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lobos fell behind 8-5 early as they had five turnovers over the first five minutes of the contest before five straight points by Mashburn gave UNM its first lead at 10-5. The Lobos led 19-18 at the midway point of the half and pushed the lead to 24-18 with just over 8:00 to play as Sebastian Forsling banked in his first career three. A 6-0 New Mexico run made the score 30-21 with 5:00 remaining. A late Nevada run cut the led to 31-30 with 1:30 in the half. Back-to-back putback baskets by Jordan Arroyo late helped UNM take a 35-34 lead into halftime. Mashburn and Johnson each scored eight first-half points to lead New Mexico.
In the second half, the Lobos got off to a cold shooting start as Nevada took a 42-41 lead with 15:50 to play. The Wolf Pack extended the advantage to 50-43 with an 8-0 run with 13:00 to go and led 56-50 at the midway point of the half. The Lobos’ cold shooting continued as Nevada led 71-61 at the final media timeout. House scored six straight points to cut the deficit to 73-70 with one minute to go, but the Wolf Pack held on for the 79-72 win.
LOBO NOTES
• Mashburn, Jr. scored in double figures for the 21st consecutive game and the 31st time in 32 games this season
• Jaelen House scored in double figures for the 22nd time this season
• Javonte Johnson scored in double figures for the 12th time this season
• KJ Jenkins scored in double figures for the 13th time this season
LOBO SEASON NOTES
• New Mexico finished the season 13-18, more than doubling its win total from last season (six)
• Jamal Mashburn, Jr. finished the year with 582 points, T-18th on UNM’s single season list
• Jaelen House finished the year with 68 steals, 7th on UNM’s single season list and most by a Lobo since 1987-88
• Jay Allen-Tovar finished the year with 44 blocks, T-19th on UNM’s single season list
• Jaelen House finished the year shooting 88.9% from the free throw line, 3rd-best in UNM history
• Javonte Johnson finished the year shooting 45.5% from three, 9th-best in UNM history
• Mashburn and House combined for 1,107 points this season, the 7th-best scoring duo in UNM history
QUOTABLE
“It was a difficult game in the sense of being in as much foul trouble as we were in. Three guys fouled out and with Jaelen and Jamal in foul trouble, it was challenging. We fought back and cut it to three. We just didn’t execute at the end. We had a miscommunication there and that’s on me. Bottom line is, when you take a step back, we showed a lot of growth this year. A lot of growth from a lot of adversity and inexperience. We can learn from it. I’m disappointed to go home early, but I’m proud of what we are building.” – Head Coach Richard Pitino