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Redshirt sophomore forward Connor MacDougall, center, celebrates with his teammates Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017 at WisePies Arena. The Lobos defeated Utah State 74-61, making their conference record 6-3. 

Redshirt sophomore forward Connor MacDougall, center, celebrates with his teammates Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017 at WisePies Arena. The Lobos defeated Utah State 74-61, making their conference record 6-3. 

Men's Basketball: Lobos near 1st place in Mountain West after beating Utah State

The Lobos have stretched their winning streak to four games with another Mountain West victory.

New Mexico(13-8, 6-3 MW) took a 74-61 victory over Utah State Tuesday night, putting the team just half a game away from a first place standing in the conference.

“We improved (Tuesday),” head coach Craig Neal said. “We are continuing to take one step forward. I’m really happy for the guys.”

The Aggies fell to 8-11 overall and are just 2-6 in conference. Freshman Koby McEwen’s 17-point effort combined with Jalen Moore’s 14 weren’t enough to lift their team to a win.

The Lobos stepped up on both sides of the ball to find their way into the win column.

Elijah Brown led the offense with 24 points, Tim Williams followed with 13 and Connor McDougall with 10. It was McDougall’s first game back since suffering a concussion on Jan. 7 and being forced to sit out due to protocol.

On defense, Neal had a lot to say about one specific player.

“I thought Dane Kuiper was tremendous defensively. I thought he was outstanding on Jalen Moore who I think is one of the better players in the league,” the coach said. “Dane played an all-around great game. He missed a couple of threes but played a terrific defensive game, and I have to give him a lot of credit.”

Neither team dominated completely over the other during the first period. Neal said he thought his team’s offense was good, but the defense began a little “sluggish.”

However, New Mexico still managed to finish the first half leading 32-29. Williams led the team with nine points, while the Aggies were led by McEwen, who stepped up with 10.

The three-point game wasn’t strong for either team in the first 20 minutes of play. McEwen and UNM’s Jalen Harris were the only ones to find the basket from beyond the arc.

The second half began with explosive energy from Kuiper. He only found the basket once in the first half, but opened the second with a jumper and posted six points in a little over four minutes.

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The standout in this period, however, was Mountain West Player of the Week Elijah Brown.

Brown had six points in the first half with 3-for-7 shooting, but in the last 20 minutes of the night, he only missed one field goal.

“Since conference season started, he’s been the player that we knew he was going to be. I kind of knew it was going to happen, we just had to be patient,” Neal said. “I expect him to be great every night. That’s not fair, but that’s what you expect from great players.”

The Lobos defense had a 10-0 run over a 6:17 stretch, leaving the Aggies stuck at 49 points while New Mexico climbed to 64.

After their 78-71 victory over Wyoming on Saturday, one of Neal’s major critiques was his team’s performance on the free throw line. The Lobos shot at 60 percent, which is below their average.

On Tuesday, New Mexico stepped up in this area and finished with a perfect 17-for-17.

“We’ve worked on it the last few days,” Neal said. “We had a little competition between the gray team and the red team. They know they are better shooters than the 60 percent from our last game. I think they are really focused. I like our guys’ mentality, their mindset, how they are approaching things every day.”

The coach said he is happy with the improvement he is seeing from his team, and that as long as they keep growing, he sees the Lobos getting far this season. 

Up next, the Lobos hit the road to take on the Nevada Wolf Pack on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She mainly covers men’s soccer and basketball. She can be reached at sports
@dailylobo.com or on Twitter 
@cisabelg.

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