Mens Basketball

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Men's Basketball: Despite difficult season, Lobos still have potential

Robert Maler | February 25

For many fans, the University of New Mexico men's basketball team has failed to live up to expectations this season — as high hopes and tremendous upside turned to mediocrity and relative embarrassment at times. The team returned a pair of seniors in Anthony Mathis and Dane Kuiper as well as sophomores Makauch Maluach and Vladimir Pinchuk — all of whom seemed to flourish under the leadership of then first-year UNM head coach Paul Weir. That quartet was joined by a slew of transfers, a couple of whom came from some high-profile programs. Vance Jackson came to UNM via UCONN, JaQuan Lyle transferred from Ohio State and the long-awaited debut eventually saw Carlton Bragg, who had previously played as a Kansas Jayhawk, take the floor.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos unable to finish strong, lose seventh home game of season

Robert Maler | February 18

The University of New Mexico men's basketball team looked pretty good in California for at least one half when it faced Fresno State a couple of weeks ago, but saw the game slip away thanks to some lengthy scoring droughts and spotty play. New Mexico (11-14, 5-8 MW) probably liked its chances if it could be more consistent this time around — play just a little bit better for a little bit longer. The Lobos did, and held a led deep in the second half, but saw the same outcome duplicated when it fell to the Bulldogs 81-73 on Saturday night at Dreamstyle Arena aka The Pit.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos exploit Spartan weaknesses from 32-point win

Robert Maler | February 17

San Jose State stood toe-to-toe with the University of New Mexico men's basketball team for a while, but the Lobos eventually wore the Spartans down and cruised to a 32-point blowout on Wednesday evening. New Mexico (11-13, 5-7 MW) registered the first points of the game after sophomore point guard Keith McGee drilled a 3-pointer to open the scoring. But Noah Baumann answered right back to tie things up, one of eight first-half ties along the way.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Wolf Pack exact revenge on Lobos in Reno

Robert Maler | February 10

85-58. It was the score of the game on Jan. 5 earlier in the season. One that favored the New Mexico Lobos and embarrassed the then-unbeaten No. 6 Nevada Wolf Pack. But it was also reportedly a score that was shown to the Wolf Pack players during practice leading up to Saturday's rematch in Reno, Nevada — an apparently effective tactic that motivated the players in a rematch they had probably been eyeing for a while.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: UNM comes alive in second half for big win over San Diego State

Robert Maler | February 7

Dreamstyle Arena aka The Pit has historically been a tough place for opponents to get a win, but that hadn't been the case for the University of New Mexico men's basketball team so far this season. New Mexico (10-12, 4-6 MW) entered Tuesday evening's game against San Diego State with a losing record, 5-6, at home. And the Lobos started to fall behind early — another undesired trend — trailing by double digits within the first five minutes of the game.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobo game ends in series of unfortunate events

Robert Maler | January 27

The Lobo men's basketball team overcame a sizable halftime deficit and even took a late lead — appearing to be in line for an improbable come-from-behind victory before a series of unfortunate events erased all of that. New Mexico (9-11, 3-5 MW) fell behind early — something Lobo fans have probably grown accustomed to by now — trailing 22-8 to Utah State a little more than halfway through the first half. There wasn't a lot to be cheerful about outside of a 9-0 run that encompassed back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers — one from point guard Keith McGee and a pair of triples from sophomore Makuach Maluach. That spurt and eight free throws accounted for all but 10 of New Mexico's 27 first half points. Senior guard Anthony Mathis was held scoreless, the team shot just 27.6 percent and UNM was probably fortunate to be trailing by just nine points at the half. But something happened after halftime and UNM looked like a completely different team. Head coach Paul Weir said the team spoke at halftime about playing basketball the right way — something that didn't happen in the first half. Despite what he described as looking young and not playing fundamentally sound in the opening frame, the team And for at least 20 minutes, the team exhibited the heart, grit and and passion that Lobo fans have been clamoring for all year. UNM big man Carlton Bragg poured in a turnaround jumper to open the scoring in the second half, but Utah State's Sam Merrill drilled a 3-pointer to push the lead back to 10 points — something he and his teammates did on five more occasions over the first seven minutes or so of the second half, denying the Lobos opportunities to mount a comeback. New Mexico had played much better in the second half up to that point, but still found itself trailing 50-40 with 12:51 to play after Merrill knocked down yet another 3-pointer.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: UNM crushes Wyoming by 30 points

Robert Maler | January 21

Wyoming has had a rough season so far and the University of New Mexico men's basketball team decided to keep things that way, crushing the Cowboys and administering a 30-point stomping to them on Saturday at Dreamstyle Arena. It was the second time in the past three games that Wyoming was on the wrong end of a one-sided game, falling by nearing an identical score against San Diego State on Jan. 8. The Cowboys lost that game 84-54 and suffered a similar fate against UNM, losing by an 83-53 margin. New Mexico ( 9-9, 3-3 MW) got off to a relatively quick start and saw all five starters score within the first six minutes of the game. A few seconds later the Lobos held their first double digit lead after senior guard Anthony Mathis buried a pair of free throws to the score 14-4 at the 13:58 mark.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Losing streak hits three after lopsided road loss

Robert Maler | January 16

The needle seemed to be pointing straight up for the University of New Mexico men's basketball team a little over a week ago — but three straight losses has seemingly erased any memory of that figurative instrument. New Mexico had a losing record after 11 games and looked unimpressive in its non-conference slate to that point. But a blowout win over the University of the Southwest and two wins to begin Mountain West play seemed to harbor hope that the squad was beginning to come together.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos drop another one, lose 91-76 to Rams on the road

Robert Maler | January 13

Many people are still trying to make heads or tails of the University of New Mexico men's basketball team — as the squad dropped its second consecutive conference game with a 91-76 road loss to the Colorado State Rams. New Mexico (8-8, 2-2 MW) has shown fans and basketball experts plenty of highs and lows already this season. From an unimpressive 6-6 non-conference start that included getting swept by rival New Mexico State for the second year in a row — to a 2-0 start in Mountain West play that showcased an 85-58 beatdown over then No. 6 Nevada — the Lobos have been consistently inconsistent so far.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos host Colorado looking to get back in the win column

Robert Maler | December 11

The University of New Mexico men's basketball team got off to a good start on its three-game trip away from home, but went sideways in a hurry en route to getting thumped by New Mexico State and St. Mary's. New Mexico (4-3) will hope to right the ship now that it is back in the friendly confines of Dreamstyle Arena aka The Pit, hosting the Colorado Buffaloes in the first of a four-game home stand.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos improve to 4-1 with road win over Bradley

Robert Maler | December 2

The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team collected another win thanks, in part, to some sharp-shooting from the 3-point line. Senior guard Anthony Mathis poured in seven 3-pointers en route to scoring a game-high 23 points to lead his Lobos to an 85-75 victory over the Bradley Braves on Saturday evening. New Mexico entered the game as the second-best 3-point shooting team in the nation, hitting at a 47.9 percent clip. That percentage took a hit, but UNM made good on 12 of its attempts from long range.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Mathis leads second-half Lobo charge to wear down UTEP

Robert Maler | November 26

The University of New Mexico men's basketball team did not get off to a great start against the UTEP Miners on Saturday, but erupted in the second half to earn an 84-78 victory. It took nearly four minutes for either team to get on the scoreboard, but UTEP's Kaosi Ezeagu broke the stalemate with a layup at the 16:16 mark to open things up. The Lobos remained scoreless for over seven and a half minutes before Vance Jackson made good on a 3-point attempt. A little past the midway point in the first half, more than 11,000 fans at Dreamstyle Arena were likely in disbelief. The Lobos had still managed to score just the lone basket and UTEP sophomore guard Evan Gilyard had stuck a pair of 3-pointers in transition following blocks that gave the Miners an 14-3 advantage.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobo commit signs National Letter of Intent

Robert Maler | November 18

There are plenty of new faces on the University of New Mexico men's basketball team, but the search for new talent is always in the works and the squad inked another baller to help bolster its roster next season. The recruiting season is seemingly never over and head coach Paul Weir and his staff were able to get a commitment for the 2019-20 season when Emmanuel Kuac signed his National Letter of Intent (NLI) to become the team's first projected incoming freshman of the class. New Mexico has benefitted from recruiting international players, especially with its ability to tap into the Australian pipeline of talent. From Luc Longley to Cameron Bairstow to Hugh Greenwood and now Makauch Maluach — the team has hit on several impact players.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Late comeback bid by Lobos falls just short

Robert Maler and Matthew Narvaiz | November 18

Fans of the University of New Mexico Men's Basketball team saw an underwhelming performance for much of its match-up with rival New Mexico State on Saturday at Dreamstyle Arena — The Pit, watching their team drop a 98-94 contest. Head coach Paul Weir credited the Aggies for playing the way they did and said NMSU's A.J. Harris had an outstanding individual performance — perhaps the best he's seen on that court since coming to Albuquerque. Weir took responsibility for the loss when asked if there was one reason besides Harris that caused the Lobo loss. "I think at the end of the day, we're not as far along as where we need to be 18 months into me being here, and that's on me," Weir said. "So if there is one reason, it's Paul Weir."

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos dominate in exhibition play

Matthew Narvaiz | November 11

The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team dominated its Northern New Mexico opponent in all aspects of the exhibition matchup between the two schools on Saturday evening. The Lobos (1-0) made 11 first-half 3-pointers to get out to an early lead and finished with a dominating performance on defense, which included forcing 18 turnovers in the second half, to will their way to a 115-66 victory over the Eagles. “In the long run, it was really good for us,” UNM head coach Paul Weir said of the exhibition match. “The first half, in particular, really allowed us to establish some things that we’ve talked a lot about but didn’t really get in place. “I think we finally showed some flashes of that in the second half on the defensive side of the ball.”

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Mathis game-winning 3-pointer lifts Lobos over CSUN

Robert Maler | November 7

It is mostly a new-look squad, but a familiar face stepped up to play the role of hero to secure the 16th straight win in a season opener for the University of New Mexico men's basketball program. Things didn't come easy for the Lobos as the California State University, Northridge Matadors hung tough for most of the game and tied things up after a steal led to jump shot from freshman forward Lamine Diane to make it 84-84 with 6.1 seconds remaining. But that left UNM senior guard Anthony Mathis enough time to bring up the ball, give a little shimmy and get just enough separation to bank in a well-contested 3-pointer to win the game.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Joe Furstinger suspended for one game by MW

Cameron Goeldner | February 8

Joe Furstinger of the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team has been suspended for one game by the Mountain West conference for his actions at the end of Tuesday night’s matchup against Boise State. He will miss Saturday’s game at the Air Force Academy. “The student-athletes and support personnel from both institutions have been admonished with regard to their leaving the bench area to participate in the altercation,” the Mountain West said in a press release. “This action could have resulted in a much more serious incident. The game officials correctly determined that time had expired and were thus unable to employ applicable NCAA playing rules.

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Women's Basketball: UNM returns to .500 in conference play

Matthew Narvaiz | January 31

The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team won in decisive fashion over Utah State Wednesday evening, marking the team’s third win this January, after they dropped five of their last six games. UNM’s 80-47 win was well-rounded, too, as the team saw a plethora of scoring from recently stagnant players, like senior guards Tesha Buck and Alex Lapeyrolerie, as well as bench players, such as senior guard Laneah Bryan and freshman guard Madi Washington.

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Men's Basketball: Carlton Bragg Commits to UNM

Cameron Goeldner | January 25

Former five-star recruit Carlton Bragg has transferred to the University of New Mexico and plans to join the men’s basketball team, he announced on Twitter Thursday. “This has been a long journey and a life-long learning experience,” Bragg said in his tweet. “I’m ready to help New Mexico. I’m ready to get to work and help the Lobos. The style of play, the training and the team atmosphere is exactly what I am looking for. I can’t wait to get there and get (going).”

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Sports

Men’s Basketball: Lobos beat SJSU decisively at home

Matthew Narvaiz | January 7

The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team is on the up after Saturday’s blowout win over San Jose State, as the Lobos defeated their opponent, 80-47, at Dreamstyle Arena. Five scorers for the Lobos were in the double digits, behind freshman guard Makuach Maluach’s 15 points, junior guard Chris McNeal and Anthony Mathis had 12 points each, senior guard Antino Jackson had 11 and senior forward Joe Furstinger, who nearly had a double-double with nine rebounds, scored 10 points. As a team, UNM also made 13 3-pointers and shot 46.7 from the field. On the other hand, the Lobos held SJSU to 31.8 percent shooting on the night.