Lobos blow out San Jose State

Victory over worst team in MWC shows UNM still has glimmer of potential

ALBUQUERQUE — Fight night in the Pit finally brought out some of the fight in the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team.

Granted, the fight was against the weakest puncher in the lot, but at this point the Lobos will take any sort of knockout they can get.

For one night, at least, all was right with the most disappointing team in the Mountain West. The Lobos (11-13, 5-7), who paid homage to the state’s long line of professional fighters from Johnny Tapia to Holly Holm and Jon “Bones” Jones, got a careerhigh 20 points from point guard Keith McGee and 17 from wildly erratic power forward Corey Manigault in a 92-60 blowout of hapless San Jose State.

The Spartans (3-20, 0-11) continued their latest slide into MWC ignominy. Since joining the conference in 2013-14, they’ve finished dead last in four (and soon to be five) of those years, winning just 13 of their 101 league games. They are threatening to become the only school in conference history to have two winless seasons in league play, something they first accomplished with an 0-18 run four years ago.

The Spartans did give UNM a run for its money for most of the first half. Up 30-27 as late as the final media timeout of the half, they had the proverbial roof cave in when the Lobos unleashed a 30-4 run extending four minutes into the second half.

Behind a healthy part of it was Manigault’s big night, something he hasn’t had in a while. Wednesday’s game was just the third time in his last 18 outings he reached double digits in the scoring column.

He attributed it to healthier practice

habits and a fresh mindset on and off the floor.

“Just gotta keep doing what we’re doing; practicing hard, playing hard, listening,” he said. “That’s what it is for the most part.”

Head coach Paul Weir lauded Manigault’s night but took a cautionary tone when saying this is the new and improved Corey Manigault, someone the Lobos can lean on for 15 points and half a dozen rebounds every time out.

“I told the team in the locker room Corey’s had a long year in a lot of different ways but I think over the last two or three weeks has really committed himself to practicing harder,” Weir said. “Unfortunately for us this year, we’ve just had some guys go through some stretches where they’re not practicing at a high enough rate for me to feel good about them going out and consistently being good, like in competition. So, I’m really glad that he broke through a little bit because he has really committed himself in practice of late.”

Since he arrived at UNM, Weir has had a policy that players can ask for their own substitutions if they feel winded because they’ve been going so hard in quick bursts on the floor. They can then insert themselves back in when they’ve recovered enough to join the fray again.

Until Wednesday, Manigault had never asked for a break.

“It was the first time this season he put his hand up,” Weir said. “He’s never done that. To me that’s a sign of, like, growth from thinking mostly about yourself to thinking about the greater good of the team. It was a big step in that way. I’d love to say it’s all going to be smooth sailing from here because me and Corey — it’s been an interesting year in a lot of ways, but I’m really happy for him.”

Basically everything the Lobos tried worked. McGee and Anthony Mathis each drained four 3-pointers, Makuach Maluach had 14 points and even the walk-ons, Jordan Arroyo and Clay Patterson, got into the game.

UNM began the week in ninth place in the Mountain West standings but slipped into a tie for seventh with idle Air Force after this win. They could move into a tie for sixth by week’s end with a win Saturday against Fresno State and a Boise State loss on the road at San Diego State.

To earn a bye out of the first round of the upcoming MWC Tournament, a team must finish no lower than fifth in the regular season standings.

As good as Wednesday’s lopsided win was, Weir and the Lobos know there have been too many bumps in the road to start feeling too good too soon.

“If we’re not able to take this forward and use it in a positive way into our next game then it was just one isolated, independent game,” he said.

NOTES

Fracas: A media timeout late in the second half saw San Jose State’s leading scorer and rebounder, Michael Steadman, and a UNM fan under the north basket escorted out. Steadman and the fan had to be separated and Steadman was taken back to the team’s locker room by a member of the staff. The fan was removed by arena security.

Public enemy: San Jose State center Ashtin Chastain became the target of Lobo fans’ ire when he and Drue Drinnon got tied up in a loose ball situation late in the first half. The two fought for a rebound near the free throw line in the Spartans’ end. It resulted in a held ball that kept it in SJSU’s possession.

As officials blew the whistle, neither player refused to let go of the ball. The wrestling match continued until it finally squirted loose, upon which time Chastain sarcastically clapped in Drinnon’s face.

From that point on, every time Chastain touched the ball, he was booed by the fans.