‘Didn’t want to go home’: New Mexico makes Broncos one-and-done at conference tourney
New Mexico guard Jaelen House took a victory lap from one end of the court to the other after hitting a layup in the second half Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
He slowed down just long enough to shoot a smirk at a fan who began heckling him before the game even started.
House silenced Boise State’s fans and gave the large New Mexico contingent in attendance plenty to scream about Thursday. The graduate student posted a season-high 29 points to help lead the No. 6 Lobos past No. 3 Boise State 76-66 in the Mountain West quarterfinals.
New Mexico will face No. 7 Colorado State in the semifinals on Friday, while the Broncos will head home early once again from the conference tournament and await their NCAA Tournament fate.
“We didn’t want to go home,” House said after the game. “We had to come out with toughness tonight, and that’s what we did.”
House, a fiery player, didn’t need any extra motivation. He shot a combined 4-for-27 in the Lobos’ two regular-season losses to Boise State. On Thursday, he finished the game 10-for-21 from the floor and 8-for-10 from the free throw line.
Whether he needed it or not, House said the pregame trash talk from the front row fired him up.
“Before the game even started, he was on me,” House said of the fan, who he gave a shout-out to in his postgame interview with CBS. “I was like, ‘All right, I’ve got something for you.’”
Boise State coach Leon Rice wasn’t surprised by House’s performance.
“I was like, ‘We’re not counting on him to miss today,’” Rice said after the game. “When you have veteran guards playing for their lives, that’s what he looked like tonight.”
New Mexico (24-9) needed to win Thursday night to keep alive its hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth. The win improved the chances the Mountain West will send six teams to the Big Dance, although the Lobos are still right on the bubble.
“I would be stunned in the NCAA Tournament after getting that win right there,” said New Mexico coach Richard Pitino, who watched his team pick up its fourth Quad 1 win of the season.
New Mexico, not surprisingly, rode its backcourt to this win. Point guard Donovan Dent had 22 points, four assists and five steals, and the Broncos (22-10) had no answer for him in the second half. He reeled off eight straight points during a two-minute stretch, including a two-handed dunk that gave the Lobos an eight-point lead and a short jumper that put New Mexico up 52-40.
“He was great tonight, and he defended very, very well,” Pitino said. “He did a great job on Max (Rice), who is a guy that you have to hold your breath every time he shoots.”
Boise State went into halftime down 35-26, but 3-pointers started falling after halftime. Chibuzo Agbo and Max Rice combined to hit four of them in the first five minutes of the second half. The Broncos were 4-for-11 from 3-point range in the first half.
The Broncos struggled to shoot well all night, finishing 20-for-68 (29.4%), but they battled back to cut the Lobos’ lead to five points with less than 2 minutes to play. New Mexico sealed the win at the free throw line, hitting 10 in the final 1:30.
“That’s the most talented team in the Mountain West, top to bottom,” Max Rice said after the game. “I do not envy the No. 6 or 7 seed that has to play them in the NCAA Tournament.”
The Lobos said they felt bullied by the Broncos in their two regular season games. New Mexico was the bully on Thursday, scoring 40 points in the paint and hanging with Boise State on the boards. The Broncos won the rebounding battle 46-45.
“They out-toughed us in the last couple games, and we just didn’t want that to happen again,” New Mexico senior Jemarl Barker Jr. said.
Tyson Degenhart led Boise State with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Max Rice added 13 points, and O’Mar Stanley chipped in with six points and 12 rebounds.
The Broncos should be safe to make the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row. They will learn their opponent and placement in the 68-team field during Sunday’s selection show on CBS at 4 p.m. Mountain time.
This story was originally published March 15, 2024 at 1:42 AM.
