Lobos Edged 71-70 by San Jose State on Late Basket
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The New Mexico men’s basketball team saw its seven-game win streak snapped with a 71-70 loss at San Jose State on Tuesday night. The Lobos (14-4, 6-1 MW) and Spartans (9-10, 2-5 MW) traded the lead over the final minute, but San Jose State’s hoop with 2.2 seconds left gave them the win.
Nelly Junior Joseph had 20 points to lead the Lobos, while Donovan Dent added 17 points and five assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lobos used an early 10-0 run to take a 14-4 lead over the opening five minutes of the contest. The lead would grow to 22-9 just past the midway point of the half. The Spartans went on a 11-0 run to cut the margin to 22-20 with 5:45 left to play, but the Lobos answered with an 8-0 run to push the margin back to double figures at 30-20 with 3:45 left. San Jose State would use several late threes, including one at the buzzer to close the UNM lead to 35-31 at the break. Joseph had 10 first-half points to lead New Mexico.
In the second half, the Spartans scored the first six points in the opening minute to take their first lead of the game, 37-35. The teams traded baskets for several minutes with the game tied 48-48 with 13:30 left to play. The Lobos led 55-53 at the midway point of the half. Back-to-back threes by San Jose State gave them a 59-57 lead with 8:30 to play. Both teams had a scoring drought for several minutes with the score tied 59-59, as the score was that with 5:00 to go before SJSU took a 63-59 lead with 4:15 to play. UNM would tie the game at the free throw line, 63-63 with 2:20 to go before an Mustapha Amzil triple gave the Lobos a 66-63 lead with 1:45 left. After the Spartans tied the game, 66-66, with a triple, a Joseph layup gave UNM a two-point lead with a minute to go. A SJSU three gave them a one-point lead, 69-68, with 40 seconds to go. A Dent jumper gave the Lobos back the lead with 33 seconds to go, but a Spartan putback with 2.2 left proved to be the game winner.
LOBO NOTES
• New Mexico’s Mountain West win streak (regular season and tournament) was snapped at 10, the second-longest streak in program history
• Dent remains the only player in the nation to have at least 10 points and four assists in every game this season
• Joseph had his third 20-point game of the season
• New Mexico had just two double-figure scorers, their fewest this season
QUOTABLE
“We just couldn’t get a rebound on that last possession. We go up two on Mustapha’s three and their kid hits a ridiculous shot to put them up one. Donovan comes down and scores, but we get two stops and can’t get a defensive rebound. We knew San Jose State had been playing everybody tough in our league, besides Colorado State, so we knew this was going to be a challenge. Offensively, we are making it difficult because we aren’t making a lot of shots. Our wings were off today and we are leaving points at the basket, especially against a team like this that isn’t a great shot blocking team. It just came down to one or two plays and they made one at the end.” – Richard Pitino
UP NEXT
The Lobos will return home for a two-game homestand, beginning with host Boise State on Friday night. The game will tip-off at 9 p.m. and the game will air on FS1. UNM will host Fresno State on Monday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. (CBS Sports Network) for a MLK Day matinee. Tickets for both games are on sale at GoLobos.com/tickets.