LOBOS TRIUMPH
UNM turns back Boise State in the Pit
Elijah Brown giveth. And Elijah Brown taketh away.
The Lobos’ junior guard, who started the night ice cold and sparked a big run for the visiting Boise State Broncos with a flagrant foul, got hot late and scored 17 of UNM’s final 19 points in Tuesday’s 78-73 win to keep their Mountain West Conference title hopes alive.
“You’ve got to give Elijah credit because he really struggled early and then he made big shots,” said UNM coach Craig Neal, before saying “he’s got to learn from” the potentially damaging f lagrant foul he drew in the second half.
Brown finished with a teamhigh 27 points on 6-of-16 shooting, including 13-of-14 free throws with six rebounds, four assists a block and two steals. Before his final flurry that started with a 3-pointer with 5:46 remaining, Brown started the game hitting just 2-of-11 shots.
Nevertheless, the Lobos (16-10, 9-5 Mountain West) led throughout in front of an announced crowd of 11,071 in the Pit against the previously first-place Broncos (16-8, 9-4). With Colorado State winning earlier in the night at Wyoming, the Rams improved to 10-4 in league play, one full game ahead of the Lobos in the league standings. CSU visits the Pit next Tuesday.
“If they want it,” Neal said of the MWC regular-season championship, “they have to go get it. I think my players played with that hunger tonight . ... It’s right there. They’ve worked their way back into contention.”
Even with Brown struggling to score early (he was active on defense and on the boards), the Lobos opened a 12-point firsthalf lead and pushed it to as many as 17 in the second half. But Boise State charged back thanks mostly to Chandler Hutchison (31 points) and Jame Reid (18 points, including four 3-pointers).
Despite playing without senior forward Tim Williams (stress reaction, left foot) for the fourth consecutive game, the Lobos dominated in the paint early and often.
UNM scored 14 of its first 16 via points in the paint. By halftime, 10 of its 12 field goals were points in the paint and it finished with 18 field goals inside.
Most of the damage early was done by senior center Obij Aget, who scored 10 of his 14 points in the first half and had three of his five blocked shots in the opening half. Freshman Damien Jefferson, who got the start in the Lobos’ four-guard lineup, finished with 14 points.
“We know when we get going and Elijah and Sam (Logwood) get going like how they did tonight, it kind of opens the floor up for other players like me,” said Jefferson, who has scored in double figures in two of the past four games.
With 12:34 left and the Lobos leading 53-38, Brown was called for a flagrant 1 foul for throwing an elbow at Reid. It did not connect, but Reid did on two free throws. On the ensuing possession, David Wacker hit two more when he was fouled, giving the Broncos a four-point possession.
That started a 15-4 run for Boise State that cut the lead to 57-53 on a Reid 3 with 8:29 remaining. But UNM sophomore Jordan Hunter (nine points, five assists) hit a jumper with 6:27 remaining to end the Broncos’ rally.
UNM shot 51 percent and held Boise State to 39.7 percent. The Broncos got 21 points off 16 UNM turnovers.
NOTES: UNM raised $3,410 through a first-half auction for the special pink-lettered jerseys UNM players wore during Tuesday night’s game. The money will be given to the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center.
... Including the Jan. 17 game in Boise, Idaho, which the Lobos won, the Broncos never led in two games against UNM this season.
... In the postgame handshake line, Neal and Boise State assistant Phil Beckner had a heated exchange. The Lobos coach didn’t want to elaborate on afterward.
“I just think it’s in the heat of the moment,” Neal said.