Jamal Mashburn Jr. had 20 points, including two on the go-ahead free throws with 18 seconds left, to lead No. 22 New Mexico to a 76-75 win Saturday over Wyoming in a Mountain West game at Laramie, Wyo.
New Mexico (14-0, 2-0 Mountain West) is off to its best start since the 1967-68 team started 17-0.
Wyoming (5-9, 0-2) has lost four consecutive games.
The Lobos are 4-0 in games decided by six points or less while Wyoming is 0-5.
Wyoming’s Hunter Maldonado, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds, fouled out with 2:29 left and the game tied at 72.
After Jeremiah Oden put the Cowboys ahead 74-72 with 2:07 left, both teams had failed possessions before Jaelen House made two free throws to tie the game with 1:20 remaining.
Ethan Anderson made one of two free throws with 56 seconds left to give Wyoming a 75-74 lead.
House, who had 16 points, five rebounds and five assists, fouled out with 32 seconds left after New Mexico committed a turnover.
Xavier Dussell missed the front end of the one-and-one free-throw situation.
Mashburn Jr. was fouled and made both free throws with 18 seconds left to give New Mexico a 76-75 lead. Mashburn made all seven of his free-throw attempts.
Wyoming’s Max Agbonkpolo missed a 3-pointer with 9 seconds left and Brendan Wenzel was off the mark following an offensive rebound.
New Mexico’s Josiah Allick was fouled with 2 seconds left and he missed both free throws.
A desperation last-second shot was missed by Agbonkpolo beyond midcourt.
Wyoming’s Noah Reynolds, the Cowboys’ leading scorer averaging 14.8 points entering the game, exited the game with 10:13 left in the first half and Wyoming leading 20-12 after taking an inadvertent elbow in the back of the head by New Mexico’s Sebastian Forsling on a rebound attempt.
Reynolds, who had eight points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field at that point, did not return because of concussion protocol.
Wyoming, which led by as many as 11 points in the first half, led 33-32 at halftime.
Neither team led by more than five points in the second half.
After New Mexico took a 66-62 lead with 6:45 left after four consecutive points by House, Dusell scored and then Maldonado scored on three straight possessions.
A dunk by Oden put the Cowboys ahead 72-70 with 2:51 left.
–Field Level Media