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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
The UNM men's basketball team gifted Lobo fans a sweet 78-73 victory over Boise State on Valentine's Day. The Lobos pulled off a win over the Broncos, closing the gap between the two teams. With the win, New Mexico is now only half a game behind Boise State, with slipped to second place in the Mountain West with the loss, behind the Colorado State Rams. Thanks to a persistent defense and several Lobos stepping up in the offensive side of the affair, New Mexico improved to 16-10 overall, and 9-5 in the Mountain West.
ACL tears are nobody’s best friend, but another one hit the University of New Mexico women's basketball team again, ending the season for a key player. Freshman guard Mykiel Burleson – who had started 22 of the 24 games the Lobos played in this season – suffered an ACL tear last Wednesday when the Lobos took on Air Force at WisePies Arena. Head coach Mike Bradbury gave the news during Monday's weekly press conference, and his words seemed filled with disappointment. “I mean, it hurts,” Bradbury said. “We've now lost three of our top eight, two of our top four. So yeah, it hurts.”
The New Mexico tennis team eased their way through day one of their weekend matches in California, but a force of nature would delay the momentum, as well as more victories on the court. The Lobos (1-5) started off strong against Cal Poly (4-2), winning the doubles point without having to finish all three doubles matches. The UNM doubles pair of freshman Dominic West and junior Bart Van Leijsen won 7-6 (6) against seniors Tim Tan and Garrett Auproux on court two. On court three, the New Mexico duo of senior Rodolfo Jauregui and junior Sean Baklini beat junior Karl Enander and freshman Antoine Noel 6-4.
The Lobos have a date with the top team in the Mountain West on Valentine’s Day, and they are even wearing special outfits for the occasion. After pulling a 74-67 win at Air Force last week, the UNM men’s basketball team returns to WisePies Arena for Lobos Love Pink, an event that aims to help spread breast cancer awareness. The team will wear white jerseys with pink lettering, which will be auctioned off post-game to raise money for the UNM Cancer Center. It won’t be an easy match as the opponents for the night are the Boise State Broncos, who find themselves at the top of the conference standings with a 16-7 overall record, including 9-3 in conference. The Lobos sit in fourth place with a 15-10, 8-5 MW record, but are just a game and a half away from the top spot.
The University of New Mexico announced Friday that season ticket prices for the upcoming football season will be reduced by 10 percent across the board. Head coach Bob Davie said he has appreciated the support from Lobo fans and feels everyone should focus on the people that show up to see the team play, instead of trying to figure out why there are more fans in the stands. But he said he would surely welcome more filled seats, and the University is making a targeted effort to boost attendance.
The New Mexico football program has put together two of its best seasons in program history, but another accusation of an alleged sexual assault has brought a different kind of attention — one that is “frustrating” and “disappointing.” KOB 4 reported that New Mexico football head coach Bob Davie confirmed that one of the players is currently under investigation. The report said Lt. Tim Stump of UNMPD confirmed a case involving an alleged sexual assault, but did not release the names of those involved.
With the start of the 2017 season less than a week away for the University of New Mexico baseball team, the expectations set by both the team and the Mountain West Conference has never been higher, as well as the pressure. After being named the preseason favorites to win the Mountain West title by coaches around the conference, some Lobos believe that they are capable of going even further. “You always have to have those high expectations,” junior infielder Carl Stajduhar said of the Lobos being predicted to win the Mountain West.
UFC 208’s main event — a newly formed featherweight title fight between Germaine de Randamie and Albuquerque’s own Holly Holm — didn't pan out the way the former champion expected. On Saturday night, Holm lost a unanimous decision, 48-47, to de Randamie (7-3) in a highly controversial ending. Illegal shots after the bell were fired off by de Randamie at the end of rounds two and three. But neither instance resulted in a point deduction or disqualification.
Solutions by The State News
