photo courtesy of UNM Athletics
Cold Shooting, Missed Opportunities Doom Lobos in 62–53 Loss at Boise State
New Mexico’s seven-game winning streak came to an end Tuesday night as offensive struggles and Boise State’s physical defense handed the Lobos their first Mountain West road loss of the season at ExtraMile Arena.
BOISE, Idaho — New Mexico’s seven-game winning streak ended Tuesday evening with a 62–53 loss to Boise State at ExtraMile Arena in its Mountain West road opener.
The Lobos fall to 10–3
overall and 1–1 in conference play, while Boise State improves to 9–4, 1–1 MW, extending the Broncos’ home winning streak over UNM to eight straight games. New Mexico has not won in Boise since 2017.
Offensive inconsistency plagued the Lobos for much of the night, culminating in their poorest shooting performance of the season.
New Mexico finished with 53 points, its lowest output since the 2021–22 season, and endured a brutal night from beyond the arc, shooting just 3-of-25 from three-point range (12.0%), tied for the third-worst single-game percentage in program history with a minimum of 20 attempts.
The loss also extended UNM’s road struggles in Boise to eight consecutive defeats, now the Lobos’ longest active road losing streak.
Offensively, New Mexico managed only 19 points in the first half — its lowest opening-half total since last season at Wyoming — while shooting 26.7% from the field, its poorest shooting half of the year.
Despite the offensive woes, New Mexico’s defense kept the game within reach for long stretches. The Lobos could not have started much better, opening the game on an 8–0 run and forcing Boise State to miss its first 11 shots.
However, UNM’s offense cooled quickly, allowing the Broncos to remain within striking distance despite their own early struggles.
At halftime, the Lobos trailed just 21–19, with Tomislav Buljan leading UNM with nine points and five rebounds.
New Mexico carried momentum into the second half, scoring on the opening possession and igniting an 11–0 run that gave the Lobos their largest lead of the night.
That burst capped a 15–0 stretch spanning the final minutes of the first half and the opening minutes after intermission. Boise State responded with composure and physical play in the paint, reclaiming momentum with multiple scoring runs midway through the second half.
Buljan finished with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double, his fifth of the season, while Deyton Albury added 12 points.
Still, New Mexico struggled to generate consistent offense, finishing the night with a season-low four assists, a clear sign of how effectively Boise State stayed home defensively and limited passing lanes.
“They like to guard everything one-on-one and help little,” Buljan said. “That makes it hard to get the ball to open players. We need to do a better job of moving the ball and moving without it. Defense wasn’t the problem.” (courtesy of Geoff Grammer Albuquerque Journal)
Boise State controlled the glass, out-rebounding UNM 48–38, and relied on balanced scoring. Spencer Ahrens led the Broncos with 12 points, while three other Boise State players also reached double figures. Consecutive 7–0 and 10–0 runs in the second half proved decisive, building a double-digit lead the Lobos could not overcome.
Following the game, first-year head coach Eric Olen pointed to finishing plays and offensive execution as the difference.
“I think the difference was they were able to finish at the rim a little bit better than us tonight,” Olen said. “They’re very physical and make it difficult to finish. Between their defense and us missing some good looks we usually make, that was a tough combination. I thought our defense was good enough to win tonight — our offense just wasn’t good enough to make that happen.” (courtesy of UNM Athletics)
New Mexico finished the night shooting 30.8% from the field and 12% from three-point range, and went 10-of-16 from the free-throw line, failing to capitalize during key moments late.
“This is a tough place to play,” Olen added. “A great basketball team in a great atmosphere. When you play good teams on the road, you can’t afford many mistakes.”
Up Next: The Lobos return home to The Pit to host Wyoming, looking to bounce back and regain momentum as Mountain West play continues.
