The Lobos stayed hot on the road and took a 74-67 victory over the Air Force Falcons on Wednesday night, New Mexico’s first win in Colorado Springs in over five years.
The win improved the Lobos’ record to 15-10 overall and 8-5 in the Mountain West conference, and dropped Air Force to 15-10, 8-5 MW.
Several factors played a role in New Mexico’s success.
“We didn't turn the ball over tonight," UNM head coach Craig Neal said in a release. "We made timely shots and made some threes."
Sophomore Sam Logwood was also an important asset. The guard/forward stepped up offensively during Saturday’s game against San Jose State, scoring 19 points. On Wednesday night, he rose up once again to the challenge, leading the team with 17 points.
His performances have been a big help to leading scorer Elijah Brown as playmaker Tim Williams — the team’s second-highest scorer — has been nursing a stress reaction in his foot.
Another player who made a difference was Dane Kuiper. The sophomore guard/forward had been out of action due to concussion protocol stemming from an incident on Jan. 28 when the Lobos played Nevada.
Kuiper finally returned to the lineup and scored 12 points off the bench.
Earlier in the week, Neal said he thought Kuiper could make it back into the starting lineup before the season was over. For now, Kuiper is expected to come off the bench until the head coach sees he is in good shape.
Wednesday’s game was tight from the very beginning. The biggest lead during the first period was only six points, held by Air Force at the 7:46 mark.
The teams traded the lead several times, but by the end of the half they found themselves tied at 34-34.
Thing remained tight in the second half, with New Mexico taking a seven-point margin at 9:44, and again during the closing seconds of the game.
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The Lobos were ice cold in the latter stages of the game, going without a field goal over a seven-minute stretch.
Instead, they relied on points from free throws, missing just two attempts from the foul line throughout the game..
The game was tied 67-67 with 2:06 remaining, but the Lobos inched ahead by one point at the 1:47 mark.
The Falcons had several chances to take the lead afterward, but missed their next five shots and committed a turnover. Air Force was forced to foul and the Lobos cashed in.
The Lobos made 71.4 percent of their 28 free throw attempts, but essentially won the game by making them when it counted most.
Brown and sophomore guard Jordan Hunter recorded six free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the 74-67 victory..
New Mexico shot 41.8 percent from the field, while Air Force shot slightly better at a 42.9 percentage in a losing effort.
Up next the Lobos will be back at WisePies Arena to host Boise State on Tuesday in a Valentine’s Day matchup. The match is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and will be available on the CBS Sports Network and on 770 KKOB.
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.
