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Competing against a team desperate for a win, the No. 15 New Mexico men’s basketball team couldn’t maintain the three-game stretch of hot shooting.
The Lobos made just 33.9 percent of their shots Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev., resulting in a 64-55 loss to UNLV. The defeat snaps a three-game win streak for UNM (20-4, 7-2 MWC), which shot 48.1 percent and higher against Wyoming, Nevada and Air Force.
“We had a very bad shooting night,” UNM head coach Steve Alford told the Associated Press. “A lot of that had to do with shot selection … I thought we did a good job getting back into it.”
UNM never led against UNLV. In the first half, the Lobos trailed 37-23 and made nine field goals out of 30 attempts. They made 12 second-half baskets on 32 shots.
The team’s top two scorers, junior guards Kendall Williams and Tony Snell, combined for 11 points. Williams, who averages the most points per game, hit only one field goal in nine attempts.
Snell was 3 of 10 from the field.
UNM’s 3-point shooting also dropped to 18.2 percent, making two triples in each half. That mark is lower than the 43.1 percent average clip the team hit from the 3-point line over the last three games. The team has hit 22 of its 51 attempted 3-pointers in its last three road contests.
Alex Kirk and Cameron Bairstow reached double-figure scoring for UNM, continuing their streak of success. Kirk, a sophomore guard, posted his sixth career double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds, both game highs. Junior forward Bairstow added 13 points and six rebounds.
UNM also outscored UNLV 32-24 in points in the paint. Although Kirk and Bairstow combined to make 12 of 22 field goals, Kirk acknowledged the team’s lackluster effort.
“We didn’t shoot as well as we usually do,” he told the AP. “We didn’t hit a lot of open shots and we took some tough ones as well.”
UNLV (18-6, 5-4 MWC) entered the game following a five-point loss to Boise State and a nine-point setback to Fresno State. It is the only time this season the Runnin’ Rebels had lost two in a row.
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UNLV’s shooting wasn’t much better at 37.1 percent from the field, but it benefited from strong 3-point shooting in the first half.
The Runnin’ Rebels made seven first-half triples, finishing with nine for the game. Guard Katin Reinhardt made four treys; guard Bryce Dejean-Jones added another three.
UNLV forward Anthony Bennett shot 17 points to share the game-high total with Kirk. Bennett also pulled down 12 rebounds for UNLV. Reinhardt and Dejean-Jones each netted 16 points, and guard Anthony Marshall scored 11 points.
The teams committed a combined 24 turnovers: UNM with 13 and UNLV with 11.
“We were coming off a very tough two-game road trip, and our guys were disappointed, frustrated (and) mad; but more than anything we were determined,” UNLV head coach Dave Rice told the AP. “We understood the challenge of playing against a terrific New Mexico team and as a program we took that challenge.”
Despite the loss, UNM maintained its one-game lead in the Mountain West Conference as the league began its second-half schedule.
Second-place Colorado State holds a 6-2 conference record and didn’t play Saturday. San Diego State, which held UNM to 25-percent shooting on Jan. 26, moved into third place after Saturday’s 75-53 win over Fresno State. UNLV and Air Force are tied for fourth at 5-4.
Associated Press writer W.G. Ramirez contributed to this report.
