Lobos come apart in loss to UTEP

ALBUQUERQUE — The growing pains are real.

Fouls, frustration and a painfully cold stretch after halftime doomed the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team in a 77-69 loss in The Pit on Sunday afternoon to visiting UTEP.

The Lobos (6-5) were called for three technical fouls as the Miners used a 16-1 run to open the second half to claim a commanding 18-point lead. UNM cut the margin in half with an 8-0 run capped by a three-point play from Jevonte Johnson, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

UTEP’s length at guard caused problems all game for the Lobos. UNM’s backcourt of Jamal Mashburn Jr., KJ Jenkins and Jaelen House combined to miss 19 of 24 shots, scoring 19 points between them. Mashburn Jr. had it particularly rough, going 1-for-12 for a season-low two points. It’s the first time he hasn’t reached double figures as a Lobo.

“We’re small there, for sure,” said UNM coach Richard Pitino of his guard rotation. “The perimeter with House and Mash, although can be really good offensively at times, it’s small, so if we have to look at tinkering with things we may have to do that.”

The Lobos’ only lead was 2-0 just 69 seconds into the game. They never led again, falling behind by as many as 18 twice in the second half.

Pitino said his team’s failure to respond in those situations is revealing.

“We’re further away than maybe we feel like we are,” he said. “It’s going to take some time to build just a toughness and a discipline that we clearly don’t have yet through the face of adversity.”

Johnson was solid for UNM, scoring 16 points with nine rebounds. Center Gethro Muscadin

had 14 points while guards Jenkins and Saquan Singleton had 11 apiece. Singleton spent considerable time running the point. He responded with a team-high five assists and just one turnover in 28 minutes.

A sticking point for Pitino was his team’s lack of self control, calling the Lobos “a very distracted group. We don’t focus on what’s going on on the court.”

The technicals were part of a busy day at the free-throw line for the Miners, who hit 22 of 29 attempts to keep it a three-pos

session game for all but the first minute of the second half.

“Never seen it in my life,” Pitino said of the infractions. “I’ve never been an opponent or part of that, never seen it. It’s going to be addressed, its not acceptable, it’s not on the refs. I don’t blame them at all, so it’ll be addressed.”

UTEP got most of its production from starting guards Souley Boum and Keonte Kennedy. They combined for 48 points and 10 rebounds. Boum converted 13 free throws, blazing a trail to the stripe every time the Lobos were called for a technical.

“We were not going to win a pretty game,” Pitino said. “We still have not been able to win a pretty game.”

NOTES

Lobos guard Taryn Todd fouled out in just 16 minutes of playing time, scoring just two points. … New Mexico takes the week off for final exams. The next game will be against SMU on Dec. 19 in The Pit.