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Monday, Januar y 28, 2019 | Vo l u m e 1 2 3 | I s s u e 3 9
House Dems push to reinstate cut sports
Lobos fall to Utah St. after rough first half
Sarah Groth/ @sarah_groth/ Daily Lobo
Event staff watch the UNM Men’s Lobo Soccer team play Old Dominion on Sept. 15, 2018.
By Cameron Goeldner, Kyle Land and Danielle Prokop @Goeldfinger @kyleoftheland @ProkopDani SANTA FE, N.M. — House Democrats introduced a bill Friday to give the University of New Mexico
a recurring appropriation of $2 million to reinstate four sports. Led by House Appropriations and Finance Committee Chair Patricia Lundstrom (D-Gallup), the money would be taken from the state’s general fund to restore the men and women’s ski team, women’s beach volleyball, and men’s soccer. Other sponsors of House Bill
320 (HB 320), all Democrats, are representatives Antonio “Moe” Maestas, Javier Martinez, Sheryl Williams Stapleton and Speaker of the House Brian Egolf. Egolf told the Daily Lobo on election night that the sports cut by UNM would be reinstated, and new Governor
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State Legislature to hold UNM Day By Justin Garcia @Just516garc If you’re looking for an excuse to skip class this Monday, head up to the New Mexico State Legislature for UNM Day. There, in Santa Fe, representatives from various entities of the University of New Mexico will be tabling and lobbying at the legislature’s UNM Day. Anyone is welcome to watch the speeches, votes and other goings-on of New Mexico’s highest governing institution. This 60-day session will be especially impactful for UNM and the Lottery Scholarship. For example, House Bill 146 would change the Lottery Scholarship from a merit-based scholarship to a needsbased one. Eligible recipients “family contributions” as calculated in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) would have to be below 150 percent. Over the last five years, votes regarding the amount of money students receive through the Lottery Scholarship have reduced the scholarship from full coverage to 60 percent. Libertie Green, governmental affairs director for the Associated Students of UNM, said that nobody from the student government will be speaking publicly in front of legislators. She said they will be tabling in the rotunda.
@DailyLobo
People walk about the New Mexico Roundhouse in Santa Fe during UNM Day.
Another bill of interest to UNM students is House Bill 320, a $2 million appropriation to reinstate men's Soccer, beach volleyball and the men and women’s ski teams. Mired in Title IX compliance issues and Athletics Department scandals, the Board of Regents, the supreme governing body of UNM, voted to cut the sports at the recommendation of Athletics Director Eddie Nuñez and University President Garnett Stokes. On Saturday, the men’s soccer program announced they had accepted the Athletics Department’s invitation for a “meet and greet” at the legislature. They added, “We were surprised that UNM asked us to do this, considering that the University has voted to eliminate out team.”
A major decision is set to be made in this session involving the makeup of the Board of Regents. Five out of the seven seats on the Board of Regents are open. The new members are picked by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, then approved by a majority of the Senate. One of the those seats — the student regent — is selected from the student body at the recommendation of UNM’s student governments and the University president. Justin Garcia is a freelance reporter with the Daily Lobo. He primarily cover’s ASUNM. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo. com or on Twitter at @Just516garc.
Anthony Jackson/ @TonyAnjackson/ Daily Lobo
Anthony Mathis reacts after the UNM Lobo Men’s Basketball team loses against Utah State on Sunday, Jan. 26.
By Robert Maler @Robert_Maler The Lobo men's basketball team overcame a sizable halftime deficit and even took a late lead — appearing to be in line for an improbable come-from-behind victory, before a series of unfortunate events erased all of that. New Mexico (9-11, 3-5 MW) fell behind early — something Lobo fans have probably grown accustomed to by now — trailing 22-8 to Utah State a little more than halfway through the first half. There wasn't a lot to be cheerful about outside of a 9-0 run that encompassed back-to-backto-back 3-pointers — one from point guard Keith McGee and a pair of triples from sophomore Makuach Maluach. That spurt and eight free throws accounted for all but 10 of New Mexico's 27 first half points. Senior guard Anthony Mathis was held scoreless, the team shot just 27.6 percent and UNM was probably fortunate to be trailing by just nine points at the half. But something happened after halftime and UNM looked like a completely different team. Head coach Paul Weir said the team spoke at halftime about playing basketball the right way — something that didn't happen in the first half. Despite what he described as looking young and not playing fundamentally sound in the opening frame, the team. And for at least 20 minutes, the team exhibited the heart, grit and and passion that Lobo fans have been clamoring for all year. UNM big man Carlton Bragg poured in a turnaround jumper to open the scoring in the second half, but Utah State's Sam Merrill drilled a 3-pointer to push the lead back to
On the Daily Lobo website Torrez: Video — National Women’s March in Washington D.C.
Garcia: UNM Day recap
10 points — something he and his teammates did on five more occasions over the first seven minutes or so of the second half, denying the Lobos opportunities to mount a comeback. New Mexico had played much better in the second half up to that point, but still found itself trailing 50-40 with 12:51 to play after Merrill knocked down yet another 3-pointer. It could have been easy for the UNM players to feel like maybe it just wasn't their day, pack it in and give up. They didn't. New Mexico made back-to-back layups and got a huge boost when sophomore Vladimir Pinchuk drew a charge on Utah State's Neemias Queta — his fourth personal foul, which relegated the talented big to the Aggie bench. The Lobos took advantage and Anthony Mathis found his shot and dropped in a deep 3-pointer, followed by a pair of Bragg free throws to cap a 9-0 run that pulled the team within 50-49 with 9:07 to play. Utah State tried to reestablish control as Merrill struck back with a jumper to go back up by three. And teammate Brock Miller answered another long-range bomb by Mathis that tied the game with a 3-pointer of his own. Miller made another shot to give his Aggies a 59-56 lead with 6:53 remaining, but Lobos applied the defensive clamps and allowed just two more Utah State field goals the rest of the way. New Mexico's Vance Jackson tied the game on the next possession with a shot from beyond the arc and took a 62-61 lead a minute later — it's first since the score was 2-0 — after Mathis uncorked his fourth made 3-pointer of the half. After Utah State connected from long range, Mathis drove to the
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