The University of New Mexico Lobos men’s basketball team started February with a loss, returning to The Pit for a showdown with the Utah State University Aggies as the two teams were tied for second in the Mountain West Conference.
The Lobos came in on a four game winning streak, and the Aggies came in on a three game winning streak of their own. One team had to give in, which meant an 86-66 point loss for the Lobos, as Utah State handed UNM its first loss at The Pit this season.
The game started promisingly for the Lobos with guard Luke Haupt getting them on the board first. This looked like it would be the start of a back and forth affair between these two Mountain West heavyweights who started trading blows early.
However, they were trading blows inefficiently, with the Lobos making just five of their first 16 baskets. This meant that when Utah State went on a small run and took a six-point lead after the offensive goaltending on Lobo forward Tomislav Buljan, it was a lead they would not relinquish until guard Jake Hall tied the game with a three late in the first half.
Unfortunately, Buljan was at the center of another call that the crowd did not like, this time a three point shooting foul. Even though Utah State guard MJ Collins Jr. made just one of the three free throws, the Lobos couldn’t capitalize on their final possession of the first half or stop Utah State from capitalizing on theirs, as Aggie forward Garry Clark hit a buzzer beater to send the Aggies to the locker room with a 36-33 lead.
The second half began with Buljan missing two free throws, which set the tone for the rest of the half for the Lobos. The momentum had shifted for good, as the Aggies thoroughly outplayed the Lobos in the second half, outscoring UNM 28-11 in the first ten minutes of the half. In that time, the Lobos were just three of nine from the field while Utah State poured it on.
One big factor was the turnovers and the points off of UNM, with the Aggies scoring 19 points off turnovers compared to the Lobos’ nine points.
“We had 15 turnovers and nine steals, live ball turnovers are going to lead to some transition, but it’s points off turnovers, points in the paint, second chance points, just completely one sided in all the aspects there,” Lobo Head Coach Eric Olen said.
The final minutes weren’t pretty for the Lobos who, although averaged out their efficiency to 41% for the half from the field, were unable to do anything to get back into the game. The lack of efficiency still reared its ugly head from beyond the arc, as the Lobos did not make a single three in the second half, going zero for seven from distance.
“They just came out playing harder than we did, they struck first and they just kept going,” Lobo guard Tajavis Miller said.
When it was all said and done, Utah State had scored 50 points in the second half, and they did it behind guard Mason Falslev, who led the game in scoring with 19 points. His late game three-pointer gave Utah State a 21-point lead, which felt like the last of many nails in this coffin of a game.
The Lobos will try not to dwell on this loss for long as they face Boise State University on Saturday, Feb. 7.
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“We don’t feel like we’re out of anything, everything we’d like to accomplish is still available for us," Olen said.
Marley Herndon is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @Dailylobo
