Nov. 29, 2004
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It’s Game No. 193 in the 100-year series history of New Mexico and New Mexico State as the in-state rivals square off Wednesday in The Pit. Tipoff is 7:05 p.m., Mountain Time from The Pit/Bob King Court in Albuquerque. There is no television – live or delayed – for the game.
It’s a quick turnaround in the annual home-and-home series as the two teams play Saturday in Las Cruces. The last time UNM met NMSU in consecutive games was Dec. 7 and 13, 1996. The Lobos swept that series eight years ago, winning 86-72 in Las Cruces and 84-82 in overtime in Albuquerque.
However, having just three days between games is the shortest span since 1971. That year, the Lobos nipped the 16th-ranked Aggies 78-76 on Dec. 4, in The Pit. NMSU won Dec. 6, in Las Cruces, 94-79.
The Lobos rebounded from a loss at Oregon by whipping Northern Arizona 81-70 last Saturday afternoon. At 5-1, UNM is off to its best start since the 2000-01 team began 10-1.
The Aggies are 3-2 after dismantling Midwestern State 81-55 Saturday in Las Cruces.
A win over New Mexico State would equal the best start for a Ritchie McKay-coached team. His 1998-99 Colorado State squad began 6-1.
UNM VS. NEW MEXICO STATE – New Mexico has a 101-91 lead in a series that began Dec. 22, 1904, in Albuquerque. The first game – a 40-20 Lobo win – came more than seven years before the territory of New Mexico was granted statehood in 1912.
The schools have split the past eight games since December of 2000. The Lobos have a 62-36 lead in Albuquerque, including 26-13 in The Pit. It’s 55-38 in the Aggies’ favor in Las Cruces, 24-12 at the Pan American Center, although UNM has won five of the past nine down south.
These two in-state rivals split the season series last year with each team winning on its home floor, NMSU 67-48 at Las Cruces and New Mexico 65-49 in Albuquerque. The last time each team won by double digits in the same year was 1986. UNM prevailed 64-50 in Albuquerque, while the Aggies took an 81-62 decision in Las Cruces.
Last year in The Pit, the Lobos roared to a 31-9 lead and never looked back in the 16-point victory. Danny Granger recorded his first double-double as a Lobo with 22 points and a UNM-high 16 rebounds. David Chiotti also had a d-d with 12 points and 11 boards as New Mexico had a dominating 44-23 edge on the glass, its widest margin in four years.
Newcomer Duane John was the difference in Las Cruces, exploding for 33 points off the bench, nearly half of the Aggies’ team total of 67. The Lobos, playing before Granger and Troy DeVries were eligible, shot just 32.8% (19-58) from the floor and 19% (5-26) from beyong the arc. The 48 points is UNM’s lowest in the series since 1985.
New Mexico’s last season sweep was 2001 while the Aggies won both games in 2002.
Assistant coach Tony Stubblefield has been subbing for veteran coach Lou Henson, who has been sidelined with an illness. Current NMSU assistant J.J. DeTemple is a 1994 UNM graduate. He served as student manager and director of basketball operations on Dave Bliss’ staff from 1992-98.
NAU RECAP – Danny Granger didn’t miss a shot in the second half when he scored 16 of his season-high 24 points in New Mexico’s 81-70 win over Northern Arizona Saturday. Granger was 7-for-7 on field goals in the second half and had 10 rebounds to finish with his second straight double-double. He had 19 points and 15 rebounds in a 79-75 New Mexico loss at Oregon on Monday. Granger hit 9 of 12 shots against Northern Arizona.
New Mexico lost most of a 10-point first half lead, but broke it open with a 14-2 run to start the second half. Granger had a 3-pointer, a three-point play and a pair of lay-ups to give the Lobos a 56-39 lead with 14:21 left. UNM led by as much as 22 points late in the game before closing with a 13-2 run against the New Mexico bench.
The Lumberjacks went nearly 10 minutes without a field goal in the first half to trail 28-18 with 7:46 left. Northern Arizona missed 12 straight field goals, and its only scoring was on four free throws before Ruben Boykin ended the drought with a 12-foot jumper with 6:30 left in the first half.
NAU POSTGAME NOTES – Granger recorded his 21st collegiate double-double, his 10th while at UNM and 3rd this season with 24 points and 10 rebounds in only 21 minutes…after getting into early foul trouble in the first half, Granger came out with a vengeance after halftime, making all 7 of his FG attempts for 16 points, plus 7 rebounds in just 12 minutes of action…he has 43 points (16-27 FGs, 3-8 3s, 8-11 FTs), 25 rebounds and 9 steals in his past 2 games
Granger notched a season-high 5 steals and now has 19 on the year, an average of 3.2 a game…he led UNM with 29 steals in 22 games last year, or 1.3 per contest
New Mexico outrebounded the Lumberjacks 40-25, and has now out-boarded the opponent in all six games this season…UNM has a +10.7 rebound margin compared to +1.2 last year
The Lobos’ 5-1 start this season equals the best by a Ritchie McKay-coached team…McKay’s 1997-98 Portland State squad began 5-1, while his 1998-99 Colorado State team won 6 of its first 7 games
UNM improved to 5-0 at home this season and has captured 18 of its past 20 in The Pit…the Lobos have shot 56.5% (144-255) at home this year, hitting no fewer than 51% of its shots in any home game to date…UNM has twice shot better than 60% from the floor, including 60.9% against the Lumberjacks…the Lobos are shooting an MWC-best 53.1% from the field compared to only 44.8% last season
UNM matched a season-high with 11 steals and 6 blocks…Mark Walters and David Chiotti had 3 blocks apiece, tying career-bests
Chiotti added 14 points and also tied a career-high with 5 assists…Alfred Neale had 11 points in relief, his fourth game scoring in double digits off the bench
The Lobos scored the first eight points of the second half…they opened the half with an 18-4 run in the first 7:28, opening up a 56-39 advantage…the Lobos led by as many as 22 points
UNM went on a 12-0 run from the 16:25 mark to the 9:43 mark in the first half to open a 22-14 lead…New Mexico held Northern Arizona without a field goal for nearly 10 minutes (16:28 to 6:29)…NAU missed 12 straight shots during that span…after UNM opened up a 10-point lead (30-20) at the 6:00 mark, the Lumberjacks went on a 12-3 run to make it 33-32 with two minutes left in the half…UNM led at the half, 38-35 after NAU’s DeJuan Stevens hit a 3-point buzzer-beater from half court
The Lobos have led at halftime in every game this year
UNM committed an unsettling 25 turnovers and has been guilty of 107 miscues in 6 games, or 17.8 a game…the average last year was 13.1
LEAGUE LEADERS – Through games of Nov. 28, New Mexico leads the Mountain West Conference in scoring (83.2 ppg), scoring margin (+17.5), FG% (53.1%) and assist average (16.8).
HEAD COACH Ritchie McKay – Ritchie McKay is in his third season in charge of Lobo hoops and his ninth year as a collegiate head coach. He was named UNM’s 18th head coach on March 28, 2002.
McKay had previous two-year stops at Portland State (1996-98), Colorado State (1998-2000) and Oregon State (2000-02). He has a career record of 112-122, 29-33 at New Mexico. McKay is 29-11 at home, 20-13 in non-conference games and 20-6 in non-league games at The Pit. He is 1-3 against New Mexico State, 1-1 in The Pit.
While at Mountain West Conference member Colorado State, McKay led the Rams to the NIT in 1999. McKay is the son of the late Joe McKay, who was a three-year letterman at guard for the Lobos from 1961-63.
DOMINATING AT HOME – The Lobos have won their first six home games for the first time since the 2000-01 season when they took eight in a row. They have also captured 18 of their past 20 in The Pit. A few homecourt notes from 2004-05:
> UNM’s average lead at halftime is nearly 12 points (40 to 28.2)…the Lobos are averaging 84.8 ppg in The Pit while holding opponents to 63, a winning margin of 21.8 points
> The Lobos are shooting a steamy 56.5% (144-255) from the floor, and have shot no lower than 51% in any home game to date…the 63.4% accuracy in the opener against North Carolina A&T is UNM’s best since making 67.9% (36-53) at Air Force on Feb. 14, 1998
> New Mexico’s 3-point accuracy at home is 45% (46-102)
> UNM nailed a school-record 20 treys against Santa Clara, including 13 of 20 in the first half…to put that number in perspective, UNM made more than 13 in an entire game just three times last year..the previous standard for 3-point proficiency was 18 on two occasions: vs. Holy Cross on Dec. 29, 1997, and vs. UTEP on Feb. 19, 1998. Both games were played in The Pit
SHOOT BETTER AND WIN – The Lobos have won 21 straight games when shooting better than their opponent, including a perfect 12-0 in 2003-04. The last loss was at Tennessee on Jan. 4, 2003. UNM shot 45% (18-40) to the Vols’ 43% (22-51). The Lobos are 56-4 in such situations since 2000-01, 153-13 since the 1995-96 season.
SEASON NO. 102 – The 2004-05 season is the 102nd in school history. The Lobos first laced up the hightops on Feb. 2, 1900, when they lost 8-6 to the Albuquerque Guards. While this season is actually the 105th anniversary of that inaugural year, UNM did not field a team for various reasons in 1900-01, 1903-04, 1917-18 and 1920-21.
The Lobos have been on the hardwoods continuously since the 1921-22 season and have compiled an all-time record of 1,211-961 (.556). New Mexico was 418-495 (.458) from 1900-62, but has gone 793-466 (.632) over the past 42-plus seasons, an average of nearly 19 wins per year. The Lobos have made 26 trips to the postseason during that span, including 10 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and 16 showings in the NIT.
LOBOS PREDICTED FOR 4TH-PLACE FINISH IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST – New Mexico was picked to finish fourth in the 2004-05 Mountain West Conference race during the league’s preseason media gathering Oct. 24, in Denver. Voters were a combination of head coaches and media. It’s the highest predicted finish for the Lobos since they were selected to place second behind Utah in the inaugural MWC season of 1999-2000. UNM was picked to finish seventh each of the past two seasons.
GRANGER NAMED MWC’S TOP RETURNING PLAYER – The MWC head coaches and the media that cover the loop picked UNM senior forward Danny Granger as the league’s top returning player. The 6-8 All-America candidate led the conference in scoring last year, averaging 19.5 ppg. He also led UNM in rebounding (9.0 rpg), steals (29) and blocked shots (31).