Sports

Sports

Baseball sweeps home opener against Northern Colorado

Spencer Butler | February 23

SANTA ANA STAR FIELD — The University of New Mexico baseball team swept its 2020 home opener last weekend against the University of Northern Colorado. The series kicked off on Friday, Feb. 21 with a 7-6 win against the Bears. Northern Colorado struck early, as UNM junior Aaron Makil gave up two of his three runs in the top of the fourth inning, putting the Lobos in an early hole. UNM bounced back in the bottom of the same frame with a Connor Mang score after Ediberto Reyes' sacrifice groundout. UNM scored again on back-to-back doubles by Harry Fullerton and Shane Podsednik, locking the score at 2-2.

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Sports

Lady Lobos go 1-1 in Nevada road trip

Angelina Pompeo | February 20

This week, the University of New Mexico women's basketball team (14-14, 5-10 MW) played two games in Nevada, starting on Feb. 15 with an emphatic 80-64 win against the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (12-13, 8-6 MW) and concluded with an 86-78 overtime loss against the University of Nevada (14-12, 7-8 MW) on Feb. 19.  Before heading into the UNLV game, Assistant Coach Bill Ferrara emphasized the importance of rebounding on both ends of the floor for team success. Going into the game, Ferrarra had noted that “it has certainly been a rough match-up for us physically”, and that “they play two bigs at all times and they pound it inside and they drive it on you. We have to contain the penetration.” After a physical first half in which neither team pulled away, the Lobos channeled their energy and dominated the final two frames, outscoring UNLV 44-27. 

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Sports

Lobos drop third straight as Alford wins in Pit return

Joe Rull | February 19

The Lobo crowd gave former head coaches Steve Alford and Craig Neal a true Pit welcome Tuesday night, as the now-Nevada coaching duo were introduced to thundering jeers from 12,000 strong. "The Pit shouldn't be quiet," Alford said. "The Pit shouldn't be doing standing ovations or clapping for the opposing coach, no matter who it was. I was here for six years. I never saw that happen, so it's what makes The Pit very, very special." In the end, it was Alford and Neal — University of New Mexico's previous men's basketball head coaches directly prior to the current Paul Weir era — who ended up on top. Nevada led the Wolf Pack to an 88-74 victory and handed UNM (17-11, 6-9) its third straight loss.

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Sports

Lobo baseball opens season at Sanderson Ford Classic

Spencer Butler | February 19

SURPRISE, A.Z. — The University of New Mexico baseball team played its first games of the season, taking part in the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic at Surprise Stadium in Arizona and splitting its games with two wins and two losses. UNM opened the season against 25th-ranked Oregon State, falling 11-4. This marks the third year in a row the Lobos have opened their season against the Beavers, with this installment getting away from the Lobos early as Oregon State ended the first inning with a 9-0 lead. Five of the runs came off junior pitcher Cody Dye, who was making his first start since 2018 after a season-ending Tommy John surgery and was unable to record an out before being pulled for sophomore Isiah Campa.

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Sports

Lobos lose nail-biter to UNLV

Joe Rull | February 18

The freefall continues for men's basketball. The team has now lost seven of its last nine games after a nailbiter at home against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (13-14, 8-6 MWC). One of the nation's top free-throw shooting teams, UNM (17-10, 6-8 MWC) missed 7 of its final 11 shots from the charity stripe as the game slipped away. "It seemed like we just ran out of a little bit of gas," UNM head coach Paul Weir said."“We didn't seem to play with a ton of just energy tonight, to begin with ... it was probably the first time we felt just flat in a while."

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Sports

Lobo football lands 23 recruits on National Signing Day

Spencer Butler | February 12

The University of New Mexico Lobo football team landed 23 new recruits last week — 22 being high school recruits. Of the recruits, 11 are for the offensive side of the ball, while 12 of the recruits are for the defensive side of the field, an area that the Lobos struggled in last season. For the offense, incoming head coach Danny Gonzales was able to ink five offensive linemen, three receivers, two tight ends and one running back.

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Sports

Athletics app would share user data with advertisers

Justin Garcia | February 12

An incoming University of New Mexico app would share users' data to advertisers, according to Athletics Department officials. UNM Athletics Director Eddie Nuñez briefly discussed the app during his presentation on the University's new deal with Outfront Media, a multimedia rights company. The new app would provide attendees of UNM sporting events with an augmented reality experience, according to Deputy Athletics Director David Williams. "(The app) was one of the first things that Outfront wanted to do. They’ve had success with it at other institutions similar to ours," Williams said in an interview with the Daily Lobo.

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Sports

Opinion: Losing team, supportive fans

Joe Rull | February 5

Ah, the Pit.  The mile-high home of Lobo basketball since 1966 has a storied history as one of most daunting venues in all of college hoops, and certainly one of its loudest. With stands angling steeply to a playing floor, the Pit gives the fans a legitimate presence in the game.  It’s customary for the thousands of Lobo faithful to stay on their feet from the opening tip until University of New Mexico records its first points of the game. Generally, this comes in the game’s opening sequence to a raucous, Pit-worthy roar.  Cut to last week’s game against still-unbeaten San Diego State. 

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Sports

Sluggish Lobos no match for No. 4 San Diego State

Joe Rull | January 30

It was over before it started. But just to make sure, San Diego State helped themselves to 17 straight points to open Wednesday night’s matchup with the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team at the Pit. On a night when No. 4-ranked SDSU (22-0, 11-0 MW) was firing on all cylinders, UNM (16-7, 5-5 MW) was anything but. “I thought that opening three minutes for San Diego State was the most impressive I’ve ever gone up against (from) another team in my four years as a head coach ... You have to play the perfect game to get this one, and we, unfortunately, were far from it,” UNM head coach Paul Weir said after the loss.

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Sports

Coach Dyche named assistant coach for U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team

Angelina Pompeo | January 30

University of New Mexico Women's Soccer Coach Heather Dyche just crossed another threshold in her climb to national soccer prominence. She has been with the school for the past five years and created many opportunities for her team, going 55-37-10 during her tenure and taking a share of the 2018 regular season conference title.  It’s a lengthy résumé, but many Lobo fans and people in general may not be entirely up to speed on what she does outside of the school.

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Sports

Blackwell leaving UNM football program

Spencer Butler | January 29

On Saturday, Jan. 17, redshirt senior and defensive tackle Aaron Blackwell announced on Twitter that he will be leaving the University of New Mexico football program by entering the NCAA transfer portal. “I have ultimately decided after much praying and contemplation that it is best I leave University of New Mexico for my last season,” Blackwell said in the post. “I truly believe Coach Gonzales and his staff are the best for the job and wish them and University the best of luck moving forward.”

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Sports

OPINION: UNM's off to its best start in years, and we still can't tell if they're actually good

January 24

ALBUQUERQUE — After trouncing San José State earlier this week, UNM's sitting pretty at 16-5 well past the midway point of the season. That's their best start in years. But here's the thing — I've been covering the Lobos all year, and I still can't tell if they're actually good. They might have one of the best records in the country right now, but the modern age of analytics has given us countless ways to measure more precisely why teams perform in the ways that they do.  What I mean to say here is that, despite the great record, despite the high-scoring offense, despite not having lost at the Pit since last February — despite it all, UNM just isn't as good as they are lucky.

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Sports

Lobos drop two straight, continue inconsistent play

Andrew Gunn and Angelina Pompeo | January 22

In what is becoming a dispiritingly familiar narrative to the University of New Mexico women’s basketball faithful, head coach Mike Bradbury’s 2019-20 team dropped two straight games after a pair of rather convincing victories the week prior. Consistency, it seems, is an increasingly difficult quality to come by for Bradbury and company. In one of the lowest-scoring UNM women’s basketball games of the season, UNM (11-10, 2-6 MW) lost to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (9-9) at Dreamstyle Arena on Saturday, Jan. 18 in front of an announced crowd of over 5,000. The game ended in a score of 68-51.

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Sports

Lobos bounce back, remain undefeated at home

Joe Rull | January 22

If ever the Lobos men’s basketball team needed a morale-boosting win, Tuesday night’s home tilt against San José State was it. With the 86-59 victory, UNM improved to 16-5 on the season. Despite the recent uncertainty clouding the program, the Lobos are still clinging to a 13-0 record at home, its best start during the Mountain West era.

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Sports

Lady Lobos secure 73-62 win over Colorado State

January 21

The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team (11-8, 2-4 MW) hosted the Colorado State Rams (8-9, 2-4 MW) at home on Jan. 15 in a-must win game for each team. The game was driven by a burst of third quarter offense from UNM and a lights-out performance from redshirt senior guard Aisia Robertson.

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Sports

US soccer star Hope Solo coming to UNM

Andrew Gunn | January 20

A key figurehead in the United States women’s soccer team’s fight for equal pay is coming to the University of New Mexico. Hope Solo, whose 16-year goalkeeping career with the USWNT included a World Cup trophy and two Olympic gold medals, will lead a Q&A session at SUB Ballrooms A&B on Monday, Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Her talk centers around one question: "Are sports serving American girls and women well?"

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Sports

Lobos humbled in blowout loss to Colorado State

Joe Rull | January 19

Maybe the first half of the Lobos' 2019 season was just a flash in the pan. Maybe the University of New Mexico's sagging defensive philosophy just isn't suited for the modern game. Or maybe it was both, as the Lobos (15-4, 4-2 MW) could only watch as Colorado State (12-7, 3-3 MW) caught fire from beyond the arc, hitting 19 of 28 attempts (67.9%) before the final buzzer, handing UNM a 105-72 loss on Jan. 15 at Moby Arena.

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Sports

Two men's basketball players suspended

Andrew Gunn | January 12

Everything was going right for the University of New Mexico men's basketball team — until it wasn't. Unfortunately for head coach Paul Weir and the UNM Athletics Department, one of the best seasons in recent memory has been largely overshadowed by a litany of recent criminal investigations. The team’s sterling 6-1 record since Dec. 14 and overall 15-3 season has been starkly juxtaposed against a backdrop of criminal sexual penetration and battery allegations, a DWI arrest and a lawsuit filed by a player against the school.

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Sports

Jackson, Lyle run the show as UNM harness Fresno State 78-64

Joe Rull | January 1

Notwithstanding the closer-than-desirable nature of many of UNM's games thus far, the Lobos have run up a perfect 11-0 home start to their 2019-2020 season, good enough for the best such record at the Pit since near the end of the Ritchie McKay era in 2005-2006 (a 12-0 home streak put to rest by BYU on Feb. 1, 2006).

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Sports

Aztecs crush Central Michigan for New Mexico Bowl title

Spencer Butler | December 31

The 14th edition of the New Mexico Bowl was like most football games at Dreamstyle Stadium in 2019: a blowout. However, instead of a University of New Mexico meltdown, the thrashing came via a Central Michigan Chippewas collapse as the San Diego State Aztecs claimed a 48-11 victory on Dec. 21 in front of a modest announced crowd of 18,823.