Lobos come up short on the road
New Mexico loses its secondstraight away game, this time falling to Utah State.
Staff and wire reports Elijah Brown and Tim Williams did their part. Everyone else, not so much. Minus much of a supporting cast, the Lobos’ dynamic duo wasn’t nearly enough to help The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team avoid its second straight road loss in an 80-72 setback to Utah State on Tuesday night in Logan, Utah.
The Lobos (14-10, 7-4 Mountain West) got only 14 points from their remaining three starters and simply failed to get the burst they needed to overcome the struggling Aggies (12-11, 4-8). USU snapped a five-game losing streak as Chris Smith led three players in double figures with 19 points.
UNM was trying to bounce back from an emotional overtime loss at MWC leader San Diego State last weekend, but never seemed to get on track after a listless first half punctuated by poor play on the glass and a number of failed offensive possessions.
Trailing 40-32 at halftime, New Mexico used a 6-0 run to get within a bucket just two minutes into the second half as Williams scored twice in the low post. The Lobos never did regain the lead, spending the final 28 minutes playing catch up and trailing for more than three-fourths of the game. Brown had 22 points to lead the Lobos while Williams added 21 points and seven rebounds. Fellow starter Cullen Neal again struggled from the field, hitting just 2 of 10 shots and finishing with five points.
The two-game road trip was downright awful for Neal. He shot just 5-for-22 from the field and was 0-for-7 from 3-point range in the two games. He scored only 12 points on the road trip; he came into it averaging nearly 14 points per game.
Utah State was in control for most of the second half. The Aggies led by at least five points for the last 14 minutes of the game.
The Lobos did get a brief spark off the bench when freshman Anthony Mathis stepped in and hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first half. He finished with seven points while Xavier Adams scored eight.
Starting center Obij Aget finished with just two points and four rebounds in 22 minutes. It was one of his worst outings since becoming a starter last season.
Starting shooting guard Sam Logwood had seven points and three rebounds before fouling out late in the second half.
Lew Evans had 15 points and Jalen Moore 11 for Utah State. They combined for four of the Aggies’ nine 3-pointers.
The Lobos trailed by as many as 11 points in the second half after that initial burst coming out of halftime. A layup by Neal got UNM within 45-42 with 15 minutes remaining, but USU responded with a 7-2 run that set the tone for the remainder of the game.
Virtually every Lobo bucket was followed by a breakdown at the other end or, as in some cases, a miscue handling the ball when UNM did manage to get a stop.
A pair of Williams free throws with 7:22 left cut Utah State’s lead to 62-57, but that’s as close as New Mexico would get. A quick 6-0 burst essentially put the game away as the Lobos responded with several missed shots that led to fouls and free throws for the Aggies.
The loss drops New Mexico out of sole possession of second place in the MWC standings and into a tie with Boise State. UNM trails San Diego State by four games with just seven remaining in the regular season.
GAME NOTES
Home again: The Lobos return home Saturday to face league doormat San Jose State. The Lobos play four of their final seven games in The Pit, including visits from fellow MWC contenders San Diego State, Boise State and Fresno State.
Not many looks: Brown typically makes a living at the free throw line, but he had just four attempts from the charity stripe Tuesday. He made all four.
The Lobos were outscored 21-11 from the free throw line by Utah State.
Odds & ends: The Lobos had 11 turnovers, down from their norm during conference play. Still, the Aggies had 19 points off those miscues. They also had 10 second-chance points on 10 offensive rebounds.