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Women's Basketball: Lobos aim for win on "senior day" in final regular season home game

Robert Maler | February 24

The New Mexico women’s basketball team has a chance to improve its place in the conference standings, as the team hosts Wyoming in its final home game of the season on "senior day." The Lobos (15-12, 10-6 MW) had an opportunity to knock off the best team in the league, but came up just short against Colorado State on Wednesday, losing 58-55. The loss has UNM sitting in fourth place in the Mountain West standings, but Wyoming is just a half-game ahead, and a win could improve the seeding for New Mexico in the upcoming conference tournament. Wyoming (18-8, 10-5 MW) took round one between the schools earlier in the season, defeating New Mexico 68-52 in Laramie, Wyoming on Jan. 21.

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Women's Tennis: Team looks to build off first win of season in Arizona

Robert Maler | February 24

The New Mexico women’s tennis team picked up its first win last weekend, and the team will have two opportunities to build on that success. The Lobos (1-5) finally notched with number one last Saturday, coming from behind after losing the double point to defeat Wisconsin, 5-2. New Mexico will open up competition on Friday against Cincinnati (5-3). The Bearcats appeared to have found their stride after winning three straight matches, but fell by a score of 5-2 on Feb. 18 to Michigan State. Cincinnati has shined at the No. 2 position, where Kelly Poggensee-Wei has put up a stellar 7-1 mark. The team seems to be dangerous one through six, but that may not be something New Mexico will concern itself with.

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Baseball: Lobos to do battle with Dallas Baptist this weekend

Matthew Narvaiz | February 23

The University of New Mexico baseball team will be continuing its season on the road as travel to Dallas Baptist for a three-game weekend series beginning Friday evening. The Lobos (3-0) started out the season with a three-game series sweep of the defending American East Conference champion Binghamton at home. The Lobos outscored Binghamton 29-12 over those games, in a season-starting sweep that marked the best start for the Lobos since starting 7-0 in 2008 — the year head coach Ray Birmingham took the helm.

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Women's Basketball: Lobos miss game-tying shot in heartbreaker against CSU

February 23

The Lobos had one last opportunity that could have sent Wednesday night’s game into overtime, but the shot was off the mark as New Mexico fell on the road in a nail-biter to Colorado State, 58-55. For the second time in three games, redshirt junior guard Alex Lapeyrolerie had to heave a last-second shot to win or tie the game after the team gave up a basket in the final seconds. But the Lobos were on the losing end both times. The loss dropped the Lobos to 15-12 overall and 11-5 in the Mountain West conference, while the Rams (21-6, 13-2 MW) clinched a share of the MW title for a fourth straight season.

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Track and Field: New Mexico hopes strong performances at MW Championship lead to NCAA berths

Bo Yu | February 22

After a week of rest for most of its athletes, the New Mexico indoor track and field squad returns to action at Mountain West Indoor Championships this Thursday. The three-day meet will take place at the Albuquerque Convention Center, where UNM has hosted its past four home meets. “There are very good teams out there,” UNM head coach Joe Franklin said in an interview. “I would expect (the men of) Colorado State to win the championship.”

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Men's Basketball: CSU deals Lobos their fourth home loss of the season

Isabel Gonzalez | February 22

Struggles on the offensive side of things turned into a 68-56 loss for the UNM men’s basketball team on Tuesday night against Colorado State, a defeat that dropped New Mexico to fifth in the conference standings with two games left. Three Lobos saw double-digit figures when it came to scoring, but even Elijah Brown’s 20 points weren’t enough to slow the Rams offense, which also had three players score at least 10 points, led by Gian Clavell’s 24 points. "We ran into a team that is playing extremely well. You've got to give them credit,” said UNM head coach Craig Neal after the game. “They played harder. They played with something. They played with a lot better pace, a lot better urgency. Our guys didn’t look like they had it tonight.”

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Women's Basketball: Lobos face tough road test against top-ranked MW team

Matthew Narvaiz | February 21

“The race is over for first, but it's a big opportunity for us to get another quality win under our belts for postseason play.” UNM head coach Mike Bradbury had that to say about the upcoming challenge against Colorado State, the top ranked team in the Mountain West. And Bradbury is probably right as the Rams have a firm hold on first place with a 20-12 overall record, going 12-2 in conference. CSU has just four games left in the season, and though it doesn’t appear the team will miss a step. But if the Lobos can pull off an upset in Fort Collins, Colorado, it could provide a welcome boost of confidence before the Mountain West Tournament begins.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos, CSU Rams meet for first time since tense January game

Isabel Gonzalez | February 21

When it comes to rivalries and drama, Tuesday night should be as intriguing as any show on TV. The Lobos are back at home this week to host the Colorado State Rams, a team that inarguably has more than one reason to be craving a victory. PREVIOUS MEETING Last month, the Lobos walked away with an 84-71 victory over the Rams at Fort Collins, Colorado. But that wasn’t the big story. With a little over two minutes remaining in the match, a fight nearly broke out after Lobo forward Joe Furstinger set a hard, but legal, screen on CSU guard J.D. Paige.

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Men’s Tennis: Lobos Sweep in Utah

Matthieu Cartron | February 21

In a whirlwind of a weekend for the UNM men’s tennis team, the Lobos faced three of their most difficult regional opponents on the road in Utah — and came out on top. New Mexico (4-5) surged to the three-match win streak by topping BYU on Friday, Nebraska on Saturday and finally Utah on Sunday. The Lobos were 1-5 coming into the weekend, a record that the team hoped to improve.

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Baseball: Zoellner named MW Player of the Week after strong opening series

Matthew Narvaiz | February 20

Jack Zoellner, the UNM baseball team’s first baseman, was awarded Mountain West Player of the Week honors after a solid performance in a three-game series against Binghamton over the weekend. Zoellner hit a pedestrian .200 in game one, going 1-for-5 at the plate and striking out once, but had banner numbers by the end of the series. He rebounded to hit a whopping .500 over three games, going 6-for-12 and driving in eight runs. But that’s not all. Half of those hits came by way of the long ball. The slugger blasted three home runs, driving in eight RBI and scoring five runs.

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Baseball: Lobos sweep Binghamton at home in first series

Matthew Narvaiz | February 19

Great pitching and strong hitting in the third of a three-game series helped the Lobo baseball team sweep the Binghamton Bulldogs at Santa Ana Star Field, as the Lobos (3-0) took home the victory 11-4 on Sunday afternoon. Luis Gonzalez – who also plays outfield – got the start on the mound for the Lobos. He struck out four, and only allowed four hits and one run in five innings of pitching. But the hitters provided for the Lobos too. As a team, the Lobos notched 15 hits, while holding Binghamton (0-3) to 12, though the Lobos were able to score more often.

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Women's Tennis: Lobos break through for first win

Robert Maler | February 19

The Lobo women’s tennis team earned a split in Salt Lake City, Utah over the weekend, breaking through to win its first game of the season. Head coach Stephanie Wooten-Quijada took over the team in the fall, and said she was excited to pick up the first team victory of the spring. "It felt really good, I think it was well-deserved," she said. "The girls had been right on the cusp of pulling out one of those close matches, and we did it, so that was nice." New Mexico (1-5) played Utah on Friday as the first-year head coach of UNM faced her former head coach, Mat Iandolo, when she was a player for Purdue.

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Men's Basketball: Turnovers foil Lobo chances to beat Fresno State

Isabel Gonzalez | February 18

A subpar performance that included 19 turnovers cost the Lobos an important game and likely erased any chance at the Mountain West regular season title on Saturday night. New Mexico (16-11, 9-6 MW) was just one game out of first place going into the game, but suffered a 71-61 loss at the hands of Fresno State. Now, its NCAA tournament chances will rely heavily on whether the team can win the Mountain West Tournament in March.

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Women's Basketball: Another triple-double and strong post play propel Lobos to victory

Matthew Narvaiz | February 18

An unusual start for the Lobo women's basketball team helped them get past Fresno State. Senior forward Kianna Keller – someone who has not been akin to shooting the ball often – scored the Lobos’ first three points of the game on her way to a near double-double. Keller posted a season-high nine points and brought down 11 rebounds in a 66-57 win over the Bulldogs. Head coach Mike Bradbury said he was proud of Keller's play, when asked about her performance in Saturday’s game.

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Baseball: Lobos flex muscles, blasting six homers to take second win over Binghamton

Robert Maler | February 18

Lobo baseball struck early and often in game two of a three-game series against Binghamton on Saturday afternoon at Santa Ana Star Field. New Mexico (2-0) cranked out six homeruns and used some solid pitching and timely defense in the infield to cruise to a 10-4 victory over Binghamton (0-2). First baseman Jack Zoellner accounted for three of those homers as he went 3-for-4 from the plate. And Carson Schneider pitched his way out of some early trouble, going five innings strong and striking out four batters to earn the win.

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Women's Basketball: New Mexico, third in MW, to take on Fresno State at home

Robert Maler | February 18

The New Mexico women’s basketball team will try to erase the sting of suffering a last-second defeat on Wednesday, as it hosts Fresno State in the “Lobos Love Pink” game. Saturday’s game will be an opportunity to help raise funds for cancer research with proceeds going to the UNM Cancer Center, a release said. Admission to the game is just $5 for fans wearing pink attire. New Mexico (14-11, 9-5 MW) fell 64-62 on Wednesday to Boise State after letting a double-digit lead slip away in the final period.

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Baseball: Tripp fantastic in relief appearance as Lobos win first game of the season

Matthew Narvaiz | February 18

Opening Day couldn't have gone any better for the Lobo baseball team. The Lobos were able to snag an 8-4 victory over Binghamton University Friday evening despite not having the best of hitting nights. Great defense and great pitching was able to elevate the Lobos to their first win, as well as a relief arm that overcame early nerves to help the Lobos get to 1-0 in 2017. Binghamton notched one more hit (8) than the Lobos, but New Mexico made the most out of the time they spent on base, and capitalized on the errors that their opponent contributed. Despite his team’s hitting, head coach Ray Birmingham wasn't concerned with his team’s production on that side of the ball.

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Men's Basketball: Lobos to battle Fresno State on Saturday afternoon as end of the season nears

Isabel Gonzalez | February 18

One game out of the top spot in the conference, the UNM men’s basketball team has just four games remaining in the season — so the Lobos can’t afford to relax. After collecting back-to-back wins, the cherry and silver will hit the road for a match at Fresno State on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs are sitting in sixth place in the conference standings with a 15-11 overall record and an even 7-7 record in the Mountain West. “They’ve had an up-and-down year,” said UNM head coach Craig Neal. “They are very dangerous. They’ve been playing very well at home, so it will be a tough challenge for us.”

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Women's Tennis: Coaches and their former players reunite in Salt Lake City, Utah

Robert Maler | February 17

The UNM women’s tennis team will have two chances to pick up win number one, as it hits the road to compete against former coaches in Salt Lake City, Utah. New Mexico head coach Stephanie Wooten-Quijada will square off against her former head coach, Mat Iandolo, who coached her during her collegiate playing days at Purdue. Iandolo is currently the head coach for Utah, where he is in his eighth season at the helm. Six of the eight current players on the UNM roster will be reunited with former UNM head coach Kelcy McKenna, who accepted the same position at Wisconsin last fall. Her departure opened the door for Wooten-Quijada to take over at New Mexico. She said all three coaches have been in contact with each other, and she expects it to be a fun experience when the teams meet up this weekend. “I’m looking forward to seeing both of them,” she said. “I think it’ll be a great week of tennis.”

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Women's Basketball: Lobos drop a nail-biter against Boise State in closing seconds

Matthew Narvaiz | February 16

The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team hit a game-tying shot late in the game, but fell in the final seconds on the road against Boise State, losing 64-62. Junior guard Alex Lapeyrolerie drained a 3-pointer with just 27 seconds remaining to tie the game at 62-62, but it wasn’t enough.