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 33 seconds left after New Mexico committed a turnover.
Xavier Dusell missed the front end of the one-and-one free-throw situation.
Mashburn 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 nine seconds left and Brendan Wenzel was off the mark following an offensive rebound.
New Mexico’s Josiah Allick was fouled with two 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 before Maldonado scored on three straight possessions.
A dunk by Oden put the Cowboys ahead 72-70 with 2:51 left.
–Field Level Media