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Men's Basketball: After suffering first conference loss, UNM faces another tough road test

Isabel Gonzalez | January 7

The Lobos have talked all season about the importance of defense and on Saturday against the Wolfpack, it will be even more important. New Mexico (9-6, 2-1 Mountain West) is hosting Nevada, a team that is known for its strong offense. The Wolf Pack has averaged 77.8 points per game, propelling the team to a 13-3 overall record and 2-1 in the conference. It is likely to be a tough challenge, but head coach Craig Neal said he thinks his players are capable of getting the win. “My philosophy is that we match up good with everybody, if we play like we did San Diego State,” he said.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: UNM dealt first conference loss at Utah State

Isabel Gonzalez | January 6

Some say good things come in threes—but three was not a lucky number for the Lobo men’s basketball Wednesday night. New Mexico shot over five percentage points better than its opponent from the floor, but 3-pointers and limited or no playing time to three key players cost the team what would’ve been its third straight conference win. Instead, the cherry and silver fell 79-75 to the Utah State. "This is only our first loss," UNM head coach Craig Neal said in a release. "It's a long conference season and hopefully we can have everyone back. We just have to play a little smarter and a little more mature. It was a perfect opportunity for us to come in here and get a win...but we didn't take advantage of that."

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Sports

Basketball: Lobos face another conference road test against Utah State

Isabel Gonzalez | January 4

After pulling off an upset over San Diego State in sunny California, the Lobos will try to make it three in a row in the much colder location of Logan, Utah against the Utah State Aggies. New Mexico (9-5, 2-0 MW) have started well in Mountain West Conference play, winning its first two games. But its opponent hasn’t been so fortunate, as Utah State (6-7, 0-2 MW) is mired in a three-game losing streak. In their most recent games, the Lobos got by the Aztecs, 68-62, while the Aggies lost 78-73 to Air Force. Although two Utah State players scored more than 20 points, Koby McEwen with a career-high 22 points and Jalen Moore with 21, their efforts were not enough. The Falcons controlled the game, leading for all but 20 seconds.

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Sports

Basketball: Defense and free throws help Lobo men complete second half comeback

Isabel Gonzalez | January 2

The new year started on Sunday, and the UNM men’s basketball team wasted no time getting new results in 2017. New Mexico (9-5, 2-0 MW) hadn’t been successful in getting a win against San Diego State since March 15, 2014. But on Sunday afternoon, the team walked away with a 68-62 comeback victory. The result snapped the Aztecs’ four-game winning streak and helped the Lobos jumped out to an early 2-0 mark in Mountain West Conference play.

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Sports

Basketball: Men look to go 2-0 in conference play

Isabel Gonzalez | January 1

The Lobos finished 2016 with a bang and are looking to start the new year the same way. The UNM men’s basketball team is heading to "the Golden State" to face the San Diego State Aztecs (5-7, 0-1 MW), a team that has had a hot hand in a four-game winning streak. New Mexico (8-5, 1-0 MW) has several ups and downs so far during the 2016-17. It managed to stay undefeated at home with a 7-0 record, but have picked up some painful losses on the road including a 77-46 one to the Arizona Wildcats.

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Sports

Basketball: Men's basketball opens conference play with a win over Fresno State

Isabel Gonzalez | December 29

The UNM men’s basketball team opened up Mountain West Conference play on Wednesday night on a good note. The Lobos took down the Fresno State Bulldogs 78-73 increasing their undefeated home record to 7-0 at WisePies Arena aka the Pit. The victory marked New Mexico’s sixth consecutive in Mountain West openers and eighth straight when opening conference play at home. Head Coach Craig Neal said he thought it was a good game for his players, who were bouncing back from a painful 31-point loss at No. 18 Arizona last week.

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Sports

Basketball: Conference play could be a fresh start for Lobos

Robert Maler | December 28

Many teams view conference play as marking the start of a new season—which could be a good thing since the Lobos will likely want to put their subpar start behind them. New Mexico (7-5) has been underwhelming so far this season during non-conference play, but has a chance for a new beginning when it faces Fresno State (8-4) Wednesday night. The Lobos have played well at times this season, but an injury to a key player and some streaky performances seem to have the team still searching for some answers.

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Sports

Basketball: Lobos get thumped by No. 18 Arizona in a lop-sided road loss

Isabel Gonzalez | December 22

The No.18 team in the nation overpowered and the Lobo men’s basketball team on both ends of the floor Tuesday night at the McKale Center. New Mexico (7-5) suffered a 77-46 loss to Arizona (11-2) in the team’s final non-conference game of the season, and it appears the Lobos have a lot to take care of before it hosts Fresno State in the Dec. 28 conference opener. In the days leading up to the game, UNM head coach Craig Neal said the Lobos needed to guard the ball well and create good scoring chances to have a chance to win. But there wasn’t much of either going on for the Lobos Tuesday night.

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Sports

Basketball: Lobos hope to take down top 25 Arizona in tough road test

Isabel Gonzalez | December 19

The Lobos took a 40-point victory against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions on Saturday, but the competition will step up significantly as they face a nationally ranked opponent in Arizona. New Mexico (7-4) will travel to Tucson, Arizona to take on the University of Arizona Wildcats, a team that is ranked No. 18 in both the AP top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll. A release said the Lobos won the last meeting between the two schools. UNM took a 70-68, narrowly defeating then No. 2 Arizona on Dec. 21, 1999. On Tuesday evening, New Mexico will try to duplicate that result.