Albuerqu, NM, An early second half run by New Mexico doomed the Cowboys in 75-66 loss to the Lobos in Dream Style Arena/ The Pit Wednesday evening in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The loss marked only the second time under head coach Allen Edwards the Pokes were defeated after leading at the half. UW fell to Boise State when leading at the break last season on Jan. 28, 2017.
“We talked about our edge and effort on the defensive end of the floor and New Mexico came out in the second half and played well off the ball screen and made some three point shots,” Edwards said. “Our one thing we said to our guys is we need to get better on the road by working on our mental toughness going into a building like this and playing our best brand of basketball.”
The Pokes fall to 11-6 overall and 2-2 in Mountain West play with the Lobos moving to 8-10 overall and 3-2 in league play.
Junior point guard Justin James led all scorers with a career-high 31 points going 11-of-18 from the field. He came into the game averaging 21.5 points on the road this season and has notched his career high in the last two road contests. Senior forward Hayden Dalton added 10 points and eight rebounds tying for the team lead with fellow senior Alan Herndon.
The Pokes return to the Arena-Auditorium on Saturday to host Colorado State for the first Border War match up of the season. The game is slated for a 2 p.m. start and will be televised on CBSSN.
