State

ALBUQUERQUE — University of New Mexico Lobo head coach Craig Neal didn’t necessarily like what he saw in The Pit Wednesday night. But Neal also didn’t like what he didn’t see. “They used to have a killer instinct in them,” Neal said of his Lobos, who dropped to 3-1 in Mountain West play after a 79-76 loss to UNLV. “They’ve lost an edge.  I can’t figure out what it is.  They (still) have it and they are going to find it. If they don’t get it back, it’s going to be a long year.” UNLV’s Runnin’ Rebels fired up the scoreboard for 46 points in the first half to grab a 46-42 lead. UNM won the second half, but only by a point, 31-30.  With the loss, UNM dropped in the Mountain West standings behind 4-0 San Diego State, while Nevada is 4-1 after a home loss to Boise State. The Lobos had the ball in the final 26 seconds, but missed three attempts from long range trying to tie the score and force overtime. The difference at the end was marginal. The Rebels needed a stop and a basket. The Lobos needed a basket and a stop. It went the way of the Rebels.

Angel Fire 20-inch base. No new snow reported. 55 trails and 6 lifts open. Pajarito 18-inch base. No new snow reported. 1 trail and 2 lifts open. Red River 24-inch base. No new snow reported. 51 trails and 7 lifts open. Sandia Peak 17-inch base. No new snow reported. 30 trails and 4 lifts open. Santa Fe 37-inch base. No new snow reported. 72 trails and 5 lifts open. Sipapu 25-inch base. No new snow reported. 30 trails and 5 lifts open. Ski Apache 14-inch base. No new snow reported. 47 trails and 8 lifts open. Taos 35-inch base. 1 inch of new snow reported. 96 trails and 14 lifts open. Angel Fire Nordic 11-inch base. 5 runs open. Enchanted Forest 15-inch base. 33 runs open.

The New Mexico State University Aggie men’s basketball team topped Seattle University in a shootout Thursday night to improve to 2-0 in Western Athletic Conference play.

LARAMIE, Wyo. — The “way” in Laramie wasn’t exactly smooth or easy, and took an extra five minutes to find. But the University of New Mexico Lobo men’s basketball team did find a ‘way.’ The Lobos beat the Wyoming Cowboys 72-69 Wednesday night in Laramie, needing overtime to do it. The Lobos managed it with some timely 3-pointers, some timely free throws by Cleveland Thomas and a few huge defensive plays. Maybe the biggest defensive play of the game came with less than 16 seconds left, when Wyoming’s Riley Grabau was flashing unattended to the UNM rim looking at a layup that would have pushed Wyoming into a 71-70 lead. Instead, Grabau found a 7-foot-wall in the form of Alex Kirk. Kirk came over from the weak side and slapped away Grabau’s potential go-ahead shot. Thomas, who earlier had banged in a huge trey, pounced on the loose ball and was fouled. He knocked down both free throws to push UNM up 72-69. UNM had to survive another Grabau 3-point attempt, but it fell short. The Lobos gobbled up the rebound and gobbled up its second Mountain West win, an important road.