New Mexico guard Jamal Mashburn Jr.(5) shoots over SDSU defender Adam Seiko (2).
San Diego State came into the game versus New Mexico as the last undefeated team in conference play. They exited the game looking like a team that still has a lot of work to do. New Mexico, after starting their season 14-0 and being ranked in the top 25 for a week, had something to prove after dropping their last two games in Mountain West play.
New Mexico’s #1 offense in the Mountain West showed out early and often fluidly scoring on SDSU’s supposedly stout defense. UNM guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. established early why he is the leading scorer in the conference dropping 15 points in the first half and 22 in all. The Aztecs had many opportunities to score, getting good open looks, but couldn’t seem to find the bottom of the net. Two of SDSU’s most consistent shooters Darrion Trammell and Micah Parrish combined for 0-9 in three point shooting on the night. On top of the Aztecs’ lackluster shooting, they were even worse from the free throw line shooting 52%.
Although SDSU managed to shut down New Mexico’s offense in the second half, UNM senior guard Jaelen House made his presence felt. House would score 29 points, which is a season high for him. After the first half, the Aztecs would chip away at a Lobos’ 10 point cushion and even take a 48-49 lead with 9 minutes left to play. This would however be short lived after a very questionable technical foul would be called on SDSU center Nathan Mensah. The Lobos capitalized on this foul, scoring 5 points in one possession, retaking the lead and momentum. The Aztecs would never be able to catch up again, losing 76-67.
Moving forward the Lobos will go back to The Pit to play a solid San Jose State team. The Aztecs will surely be unranked again and will look to get back on track against Colorado State in Fort Collins.
