In a game where both teams needed to win to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, the University of New Mexico Lobos men's basketball went head-to-head against the San Diego State University Aztecs in the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament on March 13 in Las Vegas.
The Lobos could not win big, losing 64-62 and missing the NCAA Tournament after making it the previous two years.
The Aztecs got the game going, scoring the first points of the night, creating a game of back and forth between the two teams.
The Aztecs took a small lead early, creating some distance, but UNM wasn’t far behind.
The Lobos came in hot in the last minute of the half, cutting the lead to 4-points, only finding themselves down 37-33 going into halftime.
The second half of the game was a nail-biter, with the half opening with the Lobos scoring first. The Lobos continued to fight back and try to regain the lead from the Aztecs in the second half, but the Aztecs weren't going to wear down so easily.
The Lobos and Aztecs were locked into a neck-and-neck game towards the final stretch, but it was becoming clear that a big factor in why the Lobos were down was their free-throw shooting. The Lobos shot 15 of 28 from the free-throw line.
“You never want to miss a free throw, you never want to miss that many free throws, especially in a tight game, but there's so many things that we could have done better throughout the entire game, I think we're not sitting on one thing,” Lobo guard Luke Haupt said.
As the game was coming to a close, the Lobos were still in the game. UNM cut the deficit down to 62-60 with just under a minute left, thanks to free throws by guard Deyton Albury. Albury would be the Lobos hero once again, as after a missed shot by SDSU, he would score off a fast break.
In a game that looked like it would go to overtime ended in heartbreak as a last-second layup by San Diego State guard BJ Davis would send the Lobos home.
“It was a disappointing outcome. We fought and competed and gave ourselves a chance. It was another game against a really good team that came down to a couple of plays at the end, and they made them,” Lobo Head Coach Eric Olen said. “We appreciate all the fans that made the trip. Pit West is a real thing, and our fans should know how much our guys appreciate that; they don’t take that for granted.”
The Lobos will be playing in the National Invitation Tournament, hosting Sam Houston State University in The Pit on Wednesday, March 18. The tournament will also include four other Mountain West teams, Nevada, Colorado State, Wyoming and UNLV.
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Elizabeth Bolke is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
