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Redshirt sophomore forward Connor MacDougall towers over Arkansas-Pine Bluff defensemen during their game Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016 at WisePies Arena. The Lobos faced off with the San Diego State Aztecs this past Sunday and defeated them 68-62. 

Redshirt sophomore forward Connor MacDougall towers over Arkansas-Pine Bluff defensemen during their game Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016 at WisePies Arena. The Lobos faced off with the San Diego State Aztecs this past Sunday and defeated them 68-62. 

Basketball: Defense and free throws help Lobo men complete second half comeback

The new year started on Sunday, and the UNM men’s basketball team wasted no time getting new results in 2017.

New Mexico (9-5, 2-0 MW) hadn’t been successful in getting a win against San Diego State since March 15, 2014. But on Sunday afternoon, the team walked away with a 68-62 comeback victory.

The result snapped the Aztecs’ four-game winning streak and helped the Lobos jumped out to an early 2-0 mark in Mountain West Conference play.

The game was expected to be exciting, as the two teams were projected in the preseason to be at or near the top of the conference.

Since the 2009-2010 season, the schools have a combined total of eight regular season titles, with San Diego State (8-5, 0-1 MW) eyeing its fourth straight title.

New Mexico was able to grind out the victory over its conference rival, but the win did not come easily. UNM led for less than two minutes of the game as the Aztecs came out with a lot of energy, playing their conference opener at home.

"Look at their percentages. They've won so many games in here in the last seven or eight years. It's a tough place to play,” UNM head coach Craig Neal said in a release. “But I think our guys experienced what they did last year and I think they were hungry to come in here and get a win. I'm happy for them."

The game opened up with what Neal said he considered a strength for the Lobos—free throws. The NCAA ranked the Lobos as No. 10 in the nation in free throws made.

San Diego State turned the ball over to start the game and New Mexico junior guard Elijah Brown ran with it, drawing a foul and sinking both free throws.

But the 2-0 lead was the only one for the Lobos in the first half, and it didn’t last long.

Jeremy Hemsley hit a jumper on the next Aztec possession to tie the game and took the lead on a Max Hoetzel 3-pointer off a UNM turnover soon after. San Diego State ran out to an 11-4 lead at the 15:04 media timeout.

The Lobos crept back in with just under eight minutes to play thanks to some contributions from the bench. Xavier Adams, Dane Kuiper and Connor MacDougall all chipped in to pull with 22-20.

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But the Aztecs went on a 13-4 run to close the half and held a 35-26 halftime advantage.

San Diego State is probably known more for its strong defense, rather than its offensive execution. And the Aztecs took care of business in the opening half, limiting the Lobos’ two leading scorers, Brown and Tim Williams, to just eight combined shot attempts.

Brown still managed to lead his team with nine first half points, going 4-4 from the foul line. While San Diego State’s Trey Kell notched the same point total to lead his team.

The Lobos had to play catch-up for most of the second half and needed to play some strong defense of their own to close the gap.

New Mexico held San Diego State to 39 percent shooting and forced eight turnovers after halftime. Though the Aztecs continued to maintain a double-digit lead for much of the second half, the Lobos’ defensive efforts were eventually rewarded.

The Lobos had twice cut the lead to seven, but San Diego State responded to hold a 51-41 with just over 10 minutes to play in the game.

The Aztecs withstood another run by the Lobos and still appeared to be in control, going up 56-47 on a dunk by Valentine Izundu with 6:15 to play.

A Kuiper 3-pointer and a jumper by Jalen Harris pulled the Lobos back within four. Harris later missed a free throw, but registered a big block that eventually led to Williams scoring in the paint to make the score 56-54.

The Lobos made it a one-point game after another Harris jumper made it 59-58 in favor of the Aztecs with 3:02 to go.

Then the Lobos relied on one of the things they do best, making their final eight attempts from the charity stripe to inch ahead, while the Aztecs went cold.

The game was tied at the 1:03 mark, but after four successful free throws by Williams, the Lobos went on top 66-62. Then the team cashed in on a big SDSU turnover.

Kuiper stole the ball, allowing Harris to essentially ice the game. He delivered the final blow with a breakaway dunk to thwart the chances of an Aztec comeback with 17 seconds left as the Lobo bench jumped up and down.

Defensive stops such as that play were huge for the Lobos. The Aztecs were held without a field goal in the final 4:18, missing their last four attempts, as well as a pair of free throw attempts during that same stretch.

Brown led the Lobos with 22 points and had another perfect night from the free throw line, going 8-8 for the game.

The guard, who has made 22 straight free throws in conference play, said Sunday’s victory was something his team needed.

"Obviously, any win we can get is huge," Brown said. "But this one, this was a special one. This was a huge win and it took a lot of maturity. I couldn't feel any better after this one."

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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