The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team staged a valiant comeback attempt in Tuesday’s game, but it fell short.

The Lobos (7-13 overall, 0-7 in the Mountain West) dropped a Mountain West matchup to Fresno State, 65-50.

“It was a good fight back from being down 17 points,” head coach Richard Pitino said after the game in a release. “We weren’t great in the first half, our defense was really, really poor. It was much better in the second half and that allowed it to get from 17 down to within two.” 

He attributed the turnaround to strong fan support at the home game.

“We are really appreciative of the crowd. That felt a little bit more of what we are used to with the students back and the band back,” Pitino, in his first year at New Mexico, said. “I know our record is not where it needs to be. I know our program isn’t where it needs to be, but their loyalty is awesome.”

The Lobos, down by 15 at the half, charged out of the locker room and closed the gap to 51-49 with 6:23 left. Fresno State (14-5, 4-2), which opened the game hot to take a 21-7 lead within the first six minutes, responded late, as well, going on a 7-0 run after Jamal Mashburn Jr. had made two free throws to bring the Lobos as close as they would get.

Mashburn Jr. ended with 15 points, second-best offensive performance on the team that night. Jaelen House led the Lobos with 19. Jay Allen-Tovar chipped in 10.

New Mexico hosts San Jose State (7-11, 0-6) tonight.