The Lobos are now fumbling over a four-game losing streak and have dropped five of their last six games. UNM certainly had the stage set to end the skid, but the Wolf Pack overcame a 15-point second-half deficit to take a 66-63 overtime victory at the Lawlor Events center.
“The kids are working hard. We just have to figure out how to get over the hump,” head coach Craig Neal said in a release. “We played really well for a while, but we couldn’t finish the game. It’s one of those things that is upsetting.”
New Mexico did play well for a while. In fact, the Lobos played really well for the majority of the game, leading for more than 36 minutes in regulation.
The first half seemed to be smooth sailing for UNM. The team defense held Nevada to just 19 points on 7-30 shooting, while the offense was in a groove shooting 12-28 for 31 points.
UNM (14-11, 6-7 MW) would build on the 12-point lead before the Wolf Pack came roaring back to cut the deficit down to 45-38 with just under 10 minutes left in regulation. New Mexico appeared to clear the trouble with a 7-0 run, and had all the momentum with just 8:17 left in the game.
However, Nevada (8-16, 4-8 MW) was all but finished in the contest. Trailing 54-43, the Wolf Pack went on a 16-2 run to take a 59-56 lead with just 1:23 left in the game. During that stretch, sophomore center Obij Aget collected his fifth foul while trying to add to his career-high four blocks.
Senior guard Hugh Greenwood provided some late-game heroics, nailing a trey with just 1:13 left in the game. The 3-pointer was the last time Greenwood would score, as he put together 15 points, three assists and five boards.
With the final possession in the second half, the Lobos couldn’t muster up a decent shot, sending the game to overtime with both teams knotted up at 59-59.
“I just thought they (Nevada) became real aggressive,” Neal said. “They continued to drive our zone and we didn’t get in front of them. We didn’t have as much pop in our step defensively as we did in the first half.”
Nevada’s second-half surge was marked by junior guard Marqueze Coleman. Despite scoring just two points in the first half, Coleman scored 22 of his game-high 24 points during the second half and overtime.
New Mexico’s lackluster performance late in the game continued into overtime, as the Lobos didn’t have any rhythm offensively. With the shot clock turned off and 33 seconds left in overtime, the Lobos wasted a significant amount of time before hurling up a hopeful 3-pointer off of the rim.
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The Wolf Pack’s junior forward AJ West gave Nevada numerous second-chance points with his 17 boards, eight of which were offensive. West added 12 points to his dominant rebounding night, including the put-back to give Nevada a three-point advantage in the final seconds of overtime.
Nevada’s 63-60 victory is the first time the Wolf Pack has beaten the Lobos since entering the Mountain West in the 2012-2013 season.
“I went with my seniors hoping we could get a road win because they have been through it before,” Neal said in the article. “We are struggling, but sooner or later we have to start making plays.”
Liam Cary-Eaves is the assistant sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at assistantsports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @Liam_CE.
