The University of New Mexico men's basketball team lost 77-76 to the University of Nevada Wolf Pack on Feb. 7. The Lobos lost on a Keenan Blackshear jump shot that left them with just 0.1 seconds on the clock. It was another close game against the Wolf Pack: the last time these teams played, it was a 97-94 double overtime loss in Reno on Jan. 23.
The Lobos are 19-5 overall, but 6-5 in conference play. The Lobos are now the fifth seed in the Mountain West and are just out of contention for the regular season title, but with the team learning from these close games the Lobos could go far in the conference tournament.
Jamal Mashburn Jr. led the team in scoring with 22 points and six assists. Jaelen House had 18 points, six rebounds and three assists in the game. Morris Udeze scored 18 and grabbed nine rebounds; 14 of his points came in the second half.
For the Wolf Pack, Jarod Lucas scored a team high 28 points, making six 3-pointers. But it was Kenan Blackshear who scored the most important point, hitting the game-winning shot; He finished with 12 points in the game.
Blackshear scored the first points of the game with a jump shot, but Mashburn responded with a 3-pointer. House was fouled at the 3-point line and made all three free throws. At the first media timeout, the score was tied 10-10.
Out of the timeout, House drove to the basket and scored an easy layup and on the next play, cut to the basket for another layup. Nevada’s Darrion Williams ended a 7-0 run for the Lobos with a 3-pointer, but House answered back with a 3-pointer of his own. The Lobos were up 18-15 with 11:56 left in the first half.
UNM's defense started to loosen and Nevada took advantage, leading to a 3-pointer from Williams that tied the game. On defense, House was hit in the face which was called for a flagrant foul. House then made both technical free throws. KJ Jenkins then made a 3-pointer for a quick 5-0 run. The Lobos were up 29-24 going into the next media timeout.
Lucas tied the game for the Wolf Pack with a 3-pointer;Nick Davidson then took the lead with a 3-pointer. The first half ended with the Lobos down 45-41.
UNM was playing well on defense, but allowed some easy baskets. The Lobos had a lot of trouble slowing down Lucas who had 16 points in the first half, making four 3-pointers. On offense, the Lobos would need to find a way to get Udeze involved. The Wolf Pack were doubling him in the post, providing him with very few opportunities to score. The key to victory would be to protect the 3-point line and find a way for Udeze to score in the paint.
Nevada’s Will Baker scored the first points of the second half with a layup. The Lobos continued to score, but on defense they were unable to rebound and gave up second-chance points. With Nevada starting to build a lead, Udeze had a dunk to get the crowd back into the game. Udeze followed it up with a layup with a pass from Mashburn. The Lobos were down 63-58 with 10:07 left in the game.
KJ Jenkins scored on a fastbreak, and later was fouled on a drive and made both free throws. Udeze was fouled and made two free throws to put the Lobos within 1. Nevada called a timeout up 65-64 with 5:47 left in the game.
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House went basket to basket, scoring a layup; Mashburn then took the lead with a mid-range jumpshot. Lucas made another 3-pointer to tie the game 70-70.
Blackshear scored for the Wolf Pack, but Udeze tied it right back up with a layup. UNM called a timeout with 58.4 seconds on the clock and tied 74-74.
Mashburn made a midrange jumpshot to put the Lobos up 76-75. Nevada called a timeout with 15.4 seconds left in the game.
With the clock expiring, Blackshear made a jump shot and gave the Lobos just 0.1 seconds left of play time. The Lobos lost 77-76.
After the game, head coach Richard Pitino gave credit to both teams, and while losing is never fun, he was pleased with the team's performance.
"It's a heartbreaker. The ball sat on the rim for a long time. I thought our guys did an amazing job in the second half. Defensively much much better. We fought our butts off rebounding the basketball we got to the free throw line. Just one of those deals where the ball rolled their way and you have to give them credit,” Pitino said.
When asked about how to move past this loss, Pitino put the season into perspective.
“For me it's been a one day at a time type mentality. I am so proud of, in year 2, where we are right now. We didn't inherit a great situation and we did some amazing things in 24 games. I'm proud of them and I'm proud of the community coming back and supporting this team. So … you just take the emotion out of it and you get back to work tomorrow," Pitino said.
The Lobos next play against the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Friday, Feb. 10.
Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thomasbulger10
Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thomasbulger10
