Buzzer-Beating Three Gives San Diego State 73-71 Win over the Lobos
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – For the second time this season, the New Mexico men’s basketball team suffered a buzzer-beating loss as No. 22 San Diego State hit a game-winning three as time expired to win 73-71 at The Pit on Saturday night. The Lobos (20-9, 7-9 MW) had taken the lead with 6.0 seconds left, but the Aztecs (23-5, 14-2 MW) were able to answer on their final shot.
Jamal Mashburn, Jr. led the Lobos with 20 points, his 14th 20-point game of the season. Jaelen House had 15 points and five assists, while Morris Udeze had 14 points and nine rebounds. KJ Jenkins added 11 points off the bench.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Aztecs opened the game strong, taking an 8-2 lead after the opening four minutes. The Lobos answered to take their first lead of the game at 15-13 on a three-pointer from Javonte Johnson with 10:50 in the half. The teams continued to trade the lead for several minutes, before UNM used a late 16-2 run to take a 37-26 lead with 0:50 to play. New Mexico took a 37-27 lead into halftime as Jenkins led the Lobos with 11 first-half points.
In the second half, New Mexico extended the lead to 44-31 with 16:20 to play. The Aztecs would use a 7-0 run to cut the advantage to 44-38 with 15:00 to go. New Mexico led 56-47 at the midway point of the half before the Aztecs used a 12-2 run to close to retake the lead, 59-58, with 5:45 to play. The teams traded the lead for several possessions and the game was tied, 64-64, with 3:00 left. San Diego State led 67-64 with 1:30 to go before Mashburn cut it to 67-66 at the line with 55.2 left. The Aztecs hit a three to go up 70-66 with 23 seconds to go, but Mashburn was fouled behind the arc with 16.7 left. He made 3-of-3 to cut the deficit to 70-69. House got a steal as SDSU tied to break the press and took the ball coast-to-coast for a layup that gave UNM a 71-70 lead with 6.0 to play. But San Diego State would hit a three-pointer as time expired to give them the 73-71 win.
HOUSE GIVES THE LOBOS THE LEAD!!!! #GoLobos
📺 @CBSSportsNet pic.twitter.com/wNv5vBqyu0— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) February 26, 2023
LOBO NOTES
• The sellout crowd of 15,431 was the largest in The Pit since 2009 (prior to renovations)
• Season attendance at The Pit eclipsed 200,000 fans for the first time since the 2015-16 season
• Mashburn moved into 27th place on the Lobos’ all-time scoring list at 1,150 career points at UNM
QUOTABLE
“It was a great basketball game. Unfortunately there has to be a loser. Unfortunately they made one more play than we did. Our effort was amazing and the crowd was phenomenal. Every time I coach in this building when its packed, I hate having them leave with a loss. But that being said, we are building something special. We have done some amazing things in year two and we will continue to learn and grow. That was a tough one, very similar to Nevada. But we will have to get off the mat and go get Fresno.” – Richard Pitino
UP NEXT
New Mexico will conclude its home schedule on Tuesday when it hosts Fresno State. Game time is 8:30 p.m. and the game will air on FS1. Prior to the game, five Lobos will be honored (Josiah Allick, Jaelen House, KJ Jenkins, Emmanuel Kuac, Morris Udeze) during Senior Night festivities.