Mens Basketball

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Men's Basketball: Lobos fall to the Miners 88-76 on the road

Robert Maler | December 2

Lobo men's basketball left El Paso, Texas the same way they entered it on Saturday evening — struggling to find its shot and winless away from home. New Mexico fell to 3-5 on the season, falling behind after some long stretches of the game without making a field goal. UTEP used those moments to capitalize and build a lead, eventually walking away with an 88-76 decision. The Lobos have really struggled to knock down shots away from their home court at Dreamstyle Arena. The team has shot a healthy 49.7 percent from the floor at home, but that success rate has plummeted to 36.8 percent when playing outside of Albuquerque.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos in search of first road victory

Robert Maler | December 2

New Mexico basketball took care of business on Wednesday to get back in the win column and has a chance to notch its first victory outside of Dreamstyle Arena on Saturday against UTEP. The Lobos (3-4, 0-0 MW) handled Evansville in their most recent matchup, a 78-59 triumph over the Purple Aces. But UNM has struggled outside the comforts of home, posting an 0-3 record so far this season. UTEP has problems of its own. The Miners won their season opener by 50 points—pounding Louisiana College 100-50 at the Don Haskins Center, but have lost six straight games since then.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos end four-game skid with big win over Evansville

Robert Maler | November 30

Lobo basketball bounced back from some poor shooting and turnovers early in the game to pull away from the Evansville Purple Aces Wednesday night to get back in the win column. UNM head coach Paul Weir said his team did a lot of things well, but still has issues hauling in defensive rebounds and protecting the paint. He said Evansville was a good test, especially defensively and it good to see his team respond and take the 78-59 victory. New Mexico (3-4, 0-0 MW) got on the board in a hurry after junior guard Troy Simons came off a screen and nailed a 3-point basket just 14 seconds into the game. But then the Lobos went cold, hitting just three of their next 13 shots. It was the kind of cold shooting that buried the team in its last game—an 80-65 loss in which UNM started just 1-for-12 and found itself in an early 24-point hole against Maryland.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos unable to climb out of early hole, lose 80-65 to Maryland

Robert Maler | November 26

A pair of big early runs by Maryland proved to be too much for University of New Mexico men's basketball team to overcome Saturday afternoon, as the Lobos lose again at the Emerald Coast Classic. Maryland (6-1) jumped all over New Mexico on Saturday in the tournament's consolation game. The Terrapins scored the first eight points of the game and then responded with a 19-0 run after UNM was finally able to put its first points on the scoreboard. The shaky start for the Lobos put them in a 27-3 hole to start the game—a deficit that seemed insurmountable as the Terrapins cruised to an 80-65 victory.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos fail to get over hump against TCU, miss potential game-winner at the buzzer

Robert Maler | November 25

New Mexico got off to a good start, but faced a late-game deficit for the second time in as many games — and wound up with the same result as the Lobos failed to close the gap late. Despite a good defensive effort by the Lobos and missed opportunities for the Horned Frogs down the stretch, TCU did just enough to hang on for a 69-67 win to advance to the championship round of the Emerald Coast Classic. "We're going to play teams very similar to TCU this year, they're going to be bigger than us, stronger than us, they're going to be more experienced than us," UNM head coach Paul Weir said in a release. "They have a lot of things we don't, so we're trying to accentuate the things we have, which to me would be speed, shooting, depth and conditioning and trying to bring those into the game as much as we can."

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos off to compete in Emerald Coast Classic, faces TCU on Friday

Matthew Narvaiz | November 24

After losing two straight, the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team will try to pick itself up and get a win against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs in Niceville, Florida. New Mexico (2-2, 0-0 MW) began the season by scoring over 100 points in each of its first two games—both wins. But followed it up with losses on the road to New Mexico State last Friday and a 104-96 defeat at home to Tennessee Tech on Tuesday.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos fade down the stretch, fall to Tennessee Tech

Robert Maler | November 22

Lobo men's basketball suffered another setback losing at home Tuesday night and may have left fans with more questions than answers about the identity of the team. New Mexico (2-2, 0-0 MW) dropped its second contest in a row to fall to .500 on the season, while the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles used the 104-96 victory over the Lobos to improve its record to 4-1. UNM appeared to be eager to drop the hammer on its opponent early and prove that Friday night's 75-56 loss in Las Cruses against the Aggies was an aberration. The Lobos jumped out to an early 8-0 lead by the time the first media break came around and the team looked to be on track to do just that.

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Sports

Men’s Basketball: Solid second half helps Lobos surpass Mavericks

Cameron Goeldner and Alanie Rael | November 15

Behind blistering second half shooting, lead by Troy Simons’ 24 points, and 39 points off of turnovers, the New Mexico men’s basketball team overpowered Nebraska-Omaha, 103-71 on Tuesday night at Dreamstyle Arena, aka The Pit. The Lobos started the game strong, setting a fast pace of play for the Mavericks to try to match. University of New Mexico forward Sam Logwood put the first points of the game on the board, followed shortly by more points from the Lobos, four points were scored by forward Joe Furstinger. By the first media timeout five minutes into the game, the Lobos jumped out to a lead of 8-2 over Omaha.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos lose charity exhibition game to BYU

Matthew Narvaiz | October 28

Despite strong defensive efforts from the New Mexico men’s basketball team, a late foul call on a 3-point attempt all but hammered the nail into the Lobos’ coffin, as they lost Friday’s exhibition game against Brigham Young , 79-73. In the closing seconds of the game, Lobo forward Vladimir Pinchuk picked up a foul on a BYU 3-pointer. The Cougars capitalized by making all three free throw attempts, and after a free throw by Antino Jackson brought the game within four points for the Lobos, the Cougars added two more free throws to close out their victory in Albuquerque, New Mexico in front of a crowd of 4,902. Despite the loss, the Lobos still showed signs of promise, especially on the defensive end. A mix of presses, man-to-man and traps forced 23 BYU turnovers in total.

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News

Men's Basketball: UNM to play for charity to hurricane victims

Matthew Narvaiz | October 22

The Lobo men’s basketball team will face off against Brigham Young University on Friday, Oct. 27, for an exhibition match that will help raise money for Hurricane Harvey victims in Houston, according to a University of a New Mexico press release. Multiple coaches and teams were trying to get an exhibition game set up, according to head coach Paul Weir. BYU matched up best with New Mexico from a scheduling standpoint, and the exhibition match was made official last week. “To be totally honest, I woke up — and I forget what morning it was — and I had several text messages from coaches that started reaching out to each other,” Weir said on how the exhibition came into fruition. “This probably would’ve been Monday or Tuesday of this week, and coaches across the country started realizing we can play an extra game.”

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Sports

Basketball: Jachai Simmons shows promise for the Lobos

Robert Maler | October 10

New Mexico basketball has just a handful of returning players, none of whom were relied on to show. That means plenty of new faces could have a chance to make an immediate impact as the team gets ready for a fresh start. Jachai Simmons, a 6-foot-7-inch tall guard/forward, is one of the many new additions to the Lobo roster. The junior transfer showed a lot of promise and was a player that the University of New Mexico’s new head coach Paul Weir took notice of. “Very talented player...I followed him from his freshman year at junior college,” Weir said. “When I watched him, he was one of the best junior college players in the country. His potential and upside is as big as anybody’s on this team.”

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Sports

Men’s Basketball: Lobo Howl takes back seat to Cherry-Silver scrimmage

Matthew Narvaiz and Sherri Barth | October 7

It’s that time of year for the UNM men’s basketball team to hit the hardwood and put on a show for its fans. The team did so on Thursday with a scrimmage, but it was much different than the traditional "Lobo Howl" fans have grown accustomed to. Drew Ingraham, Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing and Fan Engagement said head coach Paul Weir exchanged the Lobo Howl at Dreamstyle Arena, aka The Pit, for the Cherry-Silver scrimmage at Johnson Gym as a season starter. Ingraham said the Lobo Howl is not gone forever, “we’re just giving it a rest.” Thursday’s Cherry-Silver game consisted of a 20-minute scrimmage, a 3-point contest — which involved Lobo players launching up threes from various lengths — and a dunk contest. Judging by the fans’ reactions, the latter seemed to be the audience’s favorite.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: New assistant coach prepares for ambitious season ahead

Matthew Narvaiz | August 2

His first day on the job was not much different from many others, albeit he is the newest member of the University of New Mexico men’s basketball coaching staff.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Weir calls new Aussie signee "a perfect fit"

Matthew Narvaiz | July 21

The Lobos recruited Down Under for their latest signee to the University of New Mexico's men’s basketball program for the 2017-18 basketball season. That signee is 6-foot-5 wing guard/forward Makuach Maluach, who hails from Australia but was born in Sudan. Maluach,19, brings a healthy dose of basketball background with him, as he was a member of the Australian junior national team, where he competed in the FIBA U18 Oceania Championships—there, he averaged 7.2 ppg amd five rebounds in 2016. He also played prep ball at Newington College in Stanmore, NSW, Australia under head coach Rex Nottage.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: 2017-18 non-conference schedule released

Matthew Narvaiz | July 6

With the season a little over four months away, the University of New Mexico men's basketball team finalized its non-conference schedule for the 2017-18 season. The schedule of non-conference opponents features 13 games in total — eight at home in the newly named Dreamstyle Arena, five on the road. The home games include a matchup with Arizona – the team’s first time at The Pit in nearly 20 years – and a Dec. 9 Rio Grande Rivalry matchup with new Lobo head coach Paul Weir’s former team, New Mexico State. Other notable home matchups include: Tennessee Tech, Rice and Nebraska-Omaha. Nebraska-Omaha and Tennessee Tech’s visit to Dreamstyle Arena rounds out the first two games of the Emerald Coast Classic before the Lobos travel to Destin, Fla. to play TCU and either St. Bonaventure of Maryland in the very same tournament. From there, UNM will host Evansville on Nov. 29 in the 2017 Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Nevada emerges as 2017 Mountain West Basketball Tournament Champions

Isabel Gonzalez | March 12

Another Mountain West basketball season is in the books. The Nevada Wolf Pack became the 2017 Mountain West Basketball Tournament Champions after taking down the second-seeded Colorado State Rams by a score of 79-71 on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos face off against Fresno State in MW quarterfinals

Isabel Gonzalez | March 8

March Madness is finally here, and with it comes the much-awaited Mountain West Tournament for the UNM men’s basketball team. After a 64-59 victory over San Diego State on Saturday, the Lobos (17-13, 10-8 MW) were able to finish the regular season in the top five of the conference, which earned them a bye that sent them straight into next Thursday’s quarterfinals to face the Fresno State Bulldogs. The tournament is a big deal because it will most likely decide who gets to go to this year’s NCAA Tournament. “I think (the Lobos) understand that and are hungry for that. We’ll find out,” said UNM head coach Craig Neal. “You can’t win the championship unless you win the first one.”

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Victory over San Diego State sends Lobos to Mountain West quarterfinals

Isabel Gonzalez | March 5

After a 64-59 win over San Diego State on Saturday night, the Lobos earned themselves a ticket straight to the Thursday quarterfinals for next week’s Mountain West Tournament. “Really proud of their effort, really proud of how hard they played tonight,” said head coach Craig Neal. “This might have been the best performance they had at home. We had great fans tonight (13,958). They brought a lot of energy for us.” By taking down the Aztecs, the Lobos finished as one of the top five teams in the conference, and will therefore not have to play on Wednesday. Their overall record stands at 17-13 while they are 10-8 in the conference. They are playing Fresno State next Thursday at 2:30pm MT.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Mountain West tourney seeding on the line against the Aztecs

Isabel Gonzalez | March 4

The UNM men’s basketball team will host the San Diego State Aztecs on Saturday night to close out the regular season. There will likely be some added pressure to the game with conference tournament seeded still at stake on “senior night”, and head coach Craig Neal said he is not taking it lightly. “It’s senior night, which is always difficult emotionally,” he said. “Then if you win, you are in the fifth (spot), so you play on Thursday. There’s a lot on the line and I think our guys understand that. We’ll prepare accordingly.” The Mountain West Tournament starts next week, and Saturday’s match will determine the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds, an important difference because only the top five teams get a pass straight through to the Thursday quarterfinals.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: First-round bye in MW tourney still a possibility for Lobos heading into Wyoming

Isabel Gonzalez | February 25

With two matches remaining in the regular season, the Lobos are still fighting for a first-round bye that would take them straight to the Mountain West Tournament quarterfinals. On Saturday afternoon, the UNM men’s basketball will take on the Wyoming Cowboys, a team that the Lobos already defeated once this season. “The ‘next ones’ are running out. We are sitting 9-7...lost two in a row,” said UNM head coach Craig Neal. “We’re looking forward to our trip to Wyoming.” Both teams hold the same overall record of 16-12, but New Mexico’s 9-7 in-conference record has outpaced the 6-9 record of Wyoming in Mountain West play.