SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The New Mexico men’s basketball team nearly pulled off the biggest upset in program history in a 90-85 loss at WCC preseason favorite Santa Clara on Saturday night at the Leavey Center. The Lobos (3-1) trailed by as many as 23 early in the second half before taking the lead in the final minute, but the Broncos (5-0) took back the lead and remained undefeated.
Hudson Mayes tied career highs with 24 points and 12 rebounds to secure his first double-double of the season. Jake Hall added 19 points while Fynn Lastring had 13 points off the bench for his first career double-figure game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lobos heled a 6-5 lead after four minutes of play as Mayes scored UNM’s first six points. The Broncos used a 11-0 run to take a 16-6 lead with 13:30 to play. Santa Clara led 27-17 at the midway point of the half as the Broncos made 7-of-9 behind the arc to start. SCU pushed the margin to 44-27 with 2:40 left before taking a 51-33 lead into the break. Hall had 12 first-half points to lead New Mexico.
In the second half, the Broncos scored the first five points to push the margin to 56-33. The Lobos used a 11-0 run to cut the lead to 56-44 with 15:30 left and closed to 59-50 with 13:00 to play. SCU led 65-54 at the midway point of the half and 77-67 with 5:00 to play. UNM used an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 77-75 with 3:45 to play and tied the game, 79-79, with 2:25 to play. Mayes stole the ball and was intentionally fouled and made 1-of-2 for UNM to take its first lead of the half, 80-79, at 2:14. SCU led 82-81 with 1:00 left when Uriah Tenette stole the ball and scored on the break to give UNM the lead. The Broncos retook the lead, 85-83, with a three with 29.9 to go before getting a stop. The Broncos made 2-of-2 at the line with 12.4 left to take a 87-83 lead. Hall was fouled behind the arc with 6.1 left and made 2-of-3 to cut the margin to 87-85. But SCU would seal the 90-85 win at the line in the final seconds.
LOBO NOTES
• The Lobos dropped their road opener for the fourth straight season
• If UNM had won, it would have been the largest comeback in program history, eclipsing the 22-point comeback last season at Fresno State
• Santa Clara’s 17 3-pointers were tied for the second most ever by a UNM opponent
QUOTABLE
“We didn’t do what we needed to do against a good team on the road, but I love this team and I love our fight. It’s a missed opportunity. For us, to see Jake and Uriah combine for 8-for-32 and 0-of-18 from three and we have a chance to win, that’s huge. Hudson was unbelievable and Tunde and Fynn his some big shots. We have depth, toughness and smart guys and we are going to get better from this.” – Eric Olen
UP NEXT
The Lobos will have a week off before another road game against a preseason conference favorite next Saturday. New Mexico will play at American favorite Wichita State on Nov. 21, before returning home to start a five-game homestand, starting Nov. 25 against Mississippi Valley State.
Lobo Comeback Falls Short at Santa Clara
