Isabel Gonzalez
@cisabelg
The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team started the year without two starters and with a loss that snapped an eight-game winning streak. The Lobos are looking to bounce back this week, starting with a game against Fresno State on Tuesday.
First Mountain West loss
The Lobos suffered their first conference loss of the season on the road against the San Jose State Spartans on Jan. 1. The 88-85 result was SJSU’s first MW win and fifth for the overall season.
- New Mexico only went 5-for-12 from the free throw line during the first half
- New Mexico’s 18 turnovers allowed the Spartans to pick up 29 points
- The Lobos had 13 points from the bench, SJSU had 38
The cherry & silver team came close to a come back but failed to pull it off when SJSU’s Richard Washington hit a three-pointer with eight seconds remaining.
Zane Martin ties it at 84… pic.twitter.com/hWRYYBwNRZ
— Geoff Grammer (@GeoffGrammer) January 2, 2020
The Spartans have made it clear that they can’t be underestimated by the Lobos. Last season they went 4-27 overall and only got one MW victory. That single victory was an 89-82 upset against New Mexico (Feb. 2019).
Upcoming game: Fresno State Bulldogs
The Lobos are hosting Fresno State on Tuesday at 9pm MT. The Bulldogs are coming in with a 5-10 overall record and 1-3 in the conference. Their last result was a 79-64 victory over SJSU thanks to a career-high 32 points by senior New Williams. He tied a program and MW record with 10 successful three-pointers.
- Last season: Fresno State swept the Lobos with an 82-70 victory in California and an 81-73 win in Albuquerque.
- The Bulldogs’ defense is third in the MW only allowing opponents an average of 65.9 points per game.
- Fresno State is not afraid to attempt three-pointers. They have attempted the most shots from beyond the arc in the MW with a total of 438 in total this season.
🚨TIES THE MOUNTAIN WEST RECORD🚨
w/ 🔟 3-POINTERS IN A GAME @newwilliams_ becomes the fourth player in MW history‼️👏#GoDogs | #ValleyTough | #PrideOfTheValley | #AtThePeak pic.twitter.com/Rr3YQ7Z79j
— Fresno State Men’s Basketball (@FresnoStateMBB) January 5, 2020
More than basketball
Some members of the team visited Lobo fan Leroy Chavez who is entering his third round of chemotherapy.
We send our best wishes to him and his family.
Bragg is back
On Dec. 22. UNM announced the suspension of redshirt senior Carlton Bragg and redshirt junior JJ Caldwell. After a three-game suspension, Bragg was allowed back on the team (announced on Jan. 3).
Even UNM baseball head coach Ray Birmingham was glad to hear the news.
Caldwell still not with the team
As published by the Albuquerque Journal, attorneys are currently suing UNM on behalf of Caldwell, seeking an immediate injunction to let Caldwell back on the court immediately.
Bayron Matos
Let’s keep teasing this 😉
Just a quick note, as of Sunday he was in Tennessee.
Other
- JaQuan Lyle reached 1000 points in his college career during the SJSU game.
- As of Jan. 2, Lyle decided to take a break from Twitter for the rest of the season.
- Last week Keith McGee was in New York to attend a funeral of a relative who passed away on Christmas Eve.
- The men’s basketball managers were no. 8 in the nation at the end of 2019 but now they’re officially a Top Five team.
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