Sports

Sports

Roadrunner Curling Club focuses on education and community

Maddie Pukite | March 20

  Curling since 2015, James Brickey brought the sport to the desert in 2017 with the formation of the Roadrunner Curling Club, aiming to introduce more people to the sport while forming a community in the process. The club meets at least three times per week, which includes lessons on Thursday nights and opportunities to compete. However, learning is a crucial principle of the club even when competing, according to Brandon Wichman, a club member.

---

Sports

Baseball: Lobos look strong in series win at start of conference play

Thomas Bulger | March 20

  The University of New Mexico baseball team played their first series of conference play on March 10-12 against the Air Force Academy Falcons. The Lobos won two of the three games. The Lobos lost 9-7 in 10 innings in the first game on March 10: UNM rallied late to tie the game in the ninth inning, but fell short in the 10th. The Lobos would go on to win the second game 15-0 on March 11, and won the third game 11-4 on March 12.

---

Sports

Men's basketball: Lobos defeat Fresno State in final home game 94-80

Thomas Bulger | March 1

  On Tuesday, Feb. 28, the University of New Mexico men's basketball defeated the Fresno State University Bulldogs 94-80 in their final home game of the season. They improved to a 8-9 record in conference play. It was senior night at The Pit: Emmanuel Kuac, KJ Jenkins, Josiah Allick, Jaelen House and Morris Udeze were honored before the game. They received flowers and a framed photo of one their highlights. Fans celebrated the players with a standing ovation and a "thank you seniors" chant. Besides Udeze, all players have an extra year of eligibility they earned for the year they lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

---

Sports

Women's basketball: Seniors shine at The Pit

Thomas Bulger | February 26

  UNM had a great game; they beat the Aggies in every statistical category: they won the rebounding battle, had less turnovers and made 39 of their 71 shots. The team had 7 players with double digit scores. Every Lobo had a good game, but the seniors had a stand out performance. McGruder led the team in points with 17 and grabbed 7 rebounds. LaTascya Duff had 13 points, three assists and three rebounds. Brown had a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. LaTora Duff scored 11 and had a team high six assists.

---

Sports

Men's basketball: Lobos lose to San Diego State on a buzzer beater

Thomas Bulger | February 26

 The University of New Mexico men's basketball team lost to the #22-ranked San Diego State Aztecs 73-71 via buzzer beater on Saturday, Feb. 25. The Lobos fell to 7-9 in conference play after the loss. It is now unlikely the Lobos receive an invite to March Madness. The only path to the NCAA tournament is to win the Mountain West conference tournament. The Lobos may have a losing record in conference play, but were very competitive in all of their losses; this is a team that could learn from adversity and apply that to the tournament.

---

Sports

Isotopes: New manager, hitting coach look to knock it out of the park this season

Miyawni Curtis | February 20

  Pedro Lopez is returning to the Albuquerque Isotopes for the 2023 season, not as the bench coach, but as their new manager. He will be joined by former Lobo baseball star Jordan Pacheco as the returning hitting coach. Staff from the Isotopes gathered on Friday, Feb. 17 for a press conference to celebrate the promotion of Lopez and introduce his goals for the new season. He is the eighth manager in Isotopes history, according to Minor League Baseball. Lopez said he is grateful and honored, but it won’t be easy. He has one goal for the upcoming season: winning.

---

Sports

Women's basketball: Lobos stay steady for the win

Thomas Bulger | February 20

  On Saturday, Feb. 18 the University of New Mexico women's basketball team defeated the San José State Spartans 70-61. The Lobos are on a 3-game winning streak and are now 17-11 overall and 9-6 in conference play. In a game where they nearly gave up multiple double-digit leads, the Lobos were resilient and found a way to win. They played smart basketball down the stretch and only fouled nine times during the game. They ultimately lost the rebounding battle 43-42, but fought for every ball. The team shot 22-26 from the free-throw line. The Lobos had four players with double-digit scoring with Vianè Cumber leading the team  with 16; she made four 3-pointers. Amaya Brown had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

---

Sports

Men's basketball: Lobos stunned at home by Wyoming

Thomas Bulger | February 16

  On Tuesday, Feb. 14, the Lobos lost to the University of Wyoming Cowboys 70-56. The Lobos are on a four-game losing streak and were without Jaelen House for the second game in a row due to injury; Donovan Dent started in his place. The Lobos are now 6-7 in conference play and fell to sixth place. With another loss, the Lobos will need to win the rest of their games to be invited to March Madness. Winning the Mountain West conference tournament would also secure a spot in the NCAA tournament, though. The Lobos lost the rebound battle 39-32 which led to 16 second-chance points for the Cowboys. UNM made just 21 of their 57 shots.

---

Sports

Men's basketball: Lobos lose 77-76 in a heartbreaker

Thomas Bulger | February 9

  The University of New Mexico men's basketball team lost 77-76 to the University of Nevada Wolf Pack on Feb. 7. The Lobos lost on a Keenan Blackshear jump shot that left them with just 0.1 seconds on the clock. It was another close game against the Wolf Pack: the last time these teams played, it was a 97-94 double overtime loss in Reno on Jan. 23. The Lobos are 19-5 overall, but 6-5 in conference play. The Lobos are now the fifth seed in the Mountain West and are just out of contention for the regular season title, but with the team learning from these close games the Lobos could go far in the conference tournament.

---

Sports

Women's basketball: Lobos stun Aztecs at The Pit

Thomas Bulger | February 6

 On Saturday, Feb. 4 the University of New Mexico women's basketball team upset the San Diego State University Aztecs 83-78. The Lobos are now 14-10 overall and 6-5 in conference play. The Aztecs are second in the Mountain West conference with a 8-4 record. It was the Lobos’ “Love Pink” game at The Pit to honor breast cancer survivors. Fans were dressed in pink, and the Lobos wore pink and white jerseys for the game. The Lobos built an early lead and we're able to maintain it throughout the game. The Lobos won the rebounding battle 35-30 and made an amazing 56.9% of their shots, making 29 of their 51 attempts.

---

Sports

Women's basketball: Lobos look competitive in loss against UNLV

Thomas Bulger | February 2

 The University of New Mexico Lobos lost 93-75 to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Lady Rebels on Thursday, Feb. 2. The Lobos lost their three-game win streak, and are now 13-10 overall and 5-5 in conference play. UNLV remains the top team in the Mountain West conference being 11-0 in conference play. It was “Women in Sports” night at The Pit. At halftime, women from the Isotopes, UNM administration and all the Lobo women student athletes were honored on the court and received recognition from the fans with applause.

---

Sports

Men's basketball: Lobos ground Air Force for the win

Thomas Bulger | January 30

 The University of New Mexico men's basketball team defeated the Air Force Academy Falcons 81-73 on Friday, Jan. 27. The Lobos now have an overall record of 19-3 and are 6-3 in conference play. The Lobos had a steady lead in the first half but gave it up early in the second half. UNM was able to rally back behind some stellar play from their guards and the crowd keeping players engaged.

---

Sports

New Mountain West commissioner visits Albuquerque

Thomas Bulger | January 30

 Gloria Nevarez became the second Mountain West conference commissioner in its history on Sunday, Jan. 1 after previous commissioner Craig Thomas retired. Nevarez was previously the commissioner of the West Coast conference. She stopped by in Albuquerque on her trip to meet all the universities in the conference and watched the University of New Mexico women's basketball team take on Colorado State University and the men's basketball team face the Air Force Academy. Before the men's game against Air Force, Nevarez spoke with the media and answered questions about her plans for the Mountain West conference.

---

Sports

Men's basketball: Lobos hunt down Broncos in overtime

Thomas Bulger | January 23

 On Friday, Jan. 20 the University of New Mexico men's basketball team defeated the Boise State University Broncos 81-79. Going into the night, the Broncos were tied for first in the Mountain West conference, but are now tied for second with a 5-3 record in conference play. Both teams played well throughout the game, and it took a game-winning layup from Morris Udeze with under 2 seconds left for the Lobos to win the game. The Lobos had another solid team win with four players in double-digit scoring.

---

Sports

Men's basketball: Lobos defeat San José State 77-57

Thomas Bulger | January 19

 On Tuesday, Jan. 17 the University of New Mexico's men's basketball team defeated the San José State University Spartans 77-57. The Lobos have an overall record of 17-2 and are 4-2 in conference play. The Lobos were able to hold the Spartans to a 33.9% scoring percentage, making just 21 of their 62 shots in contrast to the Lobos, who had four players in double-digit scoring. Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Jaelen House each had 20 points in the game, and Morris Udeze had a double-double scoring 17 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Spartan Omari Moore had a great game and was the only Spartan in double digits. He had 24 points, five assists and four rebounds.

---

Sports

Football: College hall of fame adds UNM footballer

John Scott | January 12

 A former offensive player for the University of New Mexico football team, Terance Mathis, was selected for the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 on Monday, January 9. He will be the second Lobo to be bestowed with the honor alongside linebacker Brian Urlacher, class of 2017, according to a press release from UNM Athletics.

---

Sports

Football: Lobo football announces new offensive, defensive coordinators

Thomas Bulger | January 9

  On Sunday, Jan. 1 the University of New Mexico started the new year by announcing the hiring of Bryant Vincent as the football team's offensive coordinator. Later in the week on Jan. 5, cornerbacks coach Troy Reffett was promoted to defensive coordinator due to Rocky Long's departure to Syracuse University. UNM started the year with Derek Warehime as offensive coordinator, but after the offense struggled to score, Warehime was fired and quarterback coach Heath Ridenour was promoted in the interim. Vincent previously served as the interim head coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, having been promoted in the summer of 2022 after previous UAB coach Bill Clark retired.

---

Sports

Men’s basketball: Lobos bested in second loss of the season

Thomas Bulger | January 9

  On Saturday, Jan. 7 the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team lost to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Runnin’ Rebels at The Pit in front of a sold out crowd. The Lobos have an overall record of 14-2 and are 1-2 in conference play. The Lobos have lost two games in a row after a 14-0 run to start to the season. UNLV had a hot start from the 3-point line and finished making eight of their 22 attempts; they also made 18 of their 24 free throws. This was UNLV’s first conference win of the season.

---

Sports

Women's basketball: Lobos hold off Aggies for the win

Thomas Bulger | December 12

The University of New Mexico women's basketball team defeated rival New Mexico State University 65-64 on Sunday, Dec. 11. The Lobos looked to rectify the 73-64 overtime loss from their Tuesday, Nov. 15 matchup in Las Cruces. The score was close throughout the entire game: the Lobos were able to gain a lead but nearly gave it up in the final minutes. UNM was out-rebounded and gave up 21 turnovers; it was 3-point shooting and clutch free throws that won the game.

---

Sports

Men's basketball: Lobos dominate Western New Mexico

Thomas Bulger | December 9

The University of New Mexico men's basketball team defeated the Western New Mexico University Mustangs 102-63 on Tuesday, Dec. 6. The Lobos improved to an 8-0 record and are one of ten undefeated teams in the nation. There were five Lobos with double digit scoring, and all 12 Lobos who played scored in the game. This included Mac Manzanares and Safi Fino-A-Laself who each scored their first points as a member of the Lobos. Morris Udeze led the team in scoring with 18 points, and Josiah Allick grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds. Off of the bench, Birima Seck had a career night, scoring 11 points and getting eight rebounds in just 11 minutes of play.