On Saturday afternoon the New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team defeated the San Diego State Aztecs 68-61 to win the Mountain West Conference Tournament championship. The victory ended a ten year drought for the Lobos (26-9) and earned the team an automatic bid in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
The duo of Jaelen House (28 points) and Jamal Mashburn Jr. (21 points) were ultimately too much for the resilient Aztecs. The Lobos got off to a big lead early, going up by as much as 14 points midway through the first half. Just before halftime the Aztecs defense clamped down and the Lobos went cold allowing San Diego State to climb back into the game.
In the second half the game went back and fourth with the Aztecs seeming to have the upper hand. In the final minutes, however, it was the Lobos defense that forced the Aztecs into taking bad shots and committing turnovers. The Lobos were able to capitalize on the Aztec miscues and hold on for the win.
On Sunday the NCAA Tournament brackets were announced and the Lobos earned the number 11 slot in the West Regional and a matchup with the 6 seed Clemson Tigers. The Tigers finished the season 21-11 and were 5th in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Lobos enter the contest on hot streak after sweeping the Mountain West Conference Tournament while the Tigers have lost three of their last four games including first round 76-55 loss to Boston College,
The winner will face the winner of the #3 Baylor vs #14 Colgate matchup.
#11 New Mexico Lobos vs #6 Clemson TigersFriday March 22
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