The No. 23 San Diego State Aztecs were handed the team's first loss of Mountain West Conference play on Saturday evening, falling to the New Mexico Lobos 76-67 at Viejas Arena. The Aztecs dropped to 4-1 in MWC play and 13-4 overall, while New Mexico improved to 3-2 in conference play and 16-2 overall.
The loss snapped a 16-game win streak for the Aztecs at home. It was the seventh-longest active streak in the country.
The Aztecs trailed 26-15 with under eight minutes remaining in the first half, but back-to-back three-pointers from Matt Bradley and Adam Seiko made it 26-21.
New Mexico finished the half on a 12-7 run to lead 38-28 at halftime, with Jamal Mashburn, Jr. scoring 15 points in the opening half to lead the Lobos. The Aztecs went just 1-for-7 at the free throw line in the game's first 20 minutes.
The Aztecs began the second half on a 17-7 run, tying the game at 45-45 with with under 14 minutes remaining.
The Aztecs then took a 49-48 lead with 9:23 remaining, but the Lobos responded with a 12-0 run to take a 60-49 lead at the 6:02 mark. Aztecs forward Nathan Mensah fouled out during that stretch, after committing a personal foul and then immediately receiving a technical foul. Mensah left the game with more than eight minutes remaining.
San Diego State then responded with a 11-4 run in just under a two-minute span, cutting the deficit to 64-60 with 2:55 remaining. That was the closest San Diego State came to New Mexico's lead.
The Aztecs struggled from the free throw line, going just 11-for-21 (52.4%) overall. San Diego State also went 6-for-24 (25%) from three-point range, after shooting a combined 50.7% from beyond the arc in the team's previous five games.
New Mexico was led by Mashburn and Jaelen House, who combined for 51 points in the Lobos' win. Mashburn finished with 22 points, while House scored a game-high 29 points.
Bradley led the Aztecs in scoring, finishing with 14 points. Two other Aztecs scored in double figures, as Seiko collected 13 points and Keshad Johnson had 10 points.
The Aztecs continue Mountain West Conference play with a matchup at Colorado State on Wednesday night. Opening tip is at 7:30 p.m.
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