Lobos Make It Six Straight, 10-1 On The Season

Dec. 18, 2004

Final Stats | 
Quotes | 
Notes | 
Photo Gallery

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Danny Granger scored 16 of his 20 points in the
game’s final 12 minutes and New Mexico got its sixth straight win by beating
Tennessee 77-58 Saturday night.

New Mexico (10-1) matched its best start in four years and tuned up with a
meeting next week against No. 6 Wake Forest with a dominating effort against
the Volunteers (4-4).

And it was Granger who delivered the knockout punch.

Double-teamed and held to three points in the first half, Granger sparked an
18-6 run by the Lobos in the second half after Tennessee had cut a 12-point
halftime deficit to 38-34 with 12:46 left.

The Volunteers’ comeback was led by freshman guard Chris Lofton, who
finished with 19 points, including going 5-for-5 on 3-pointers.

A layup by JaJuan Smith got Tennessee within four and the Volunteers had a
chance to make it a one point game, but Scooter McFagdon’s 3-pointer rimmed
out.

It was all Granger and New Mexico after that. He scored seven quick points,
connecting on a 16-foot jumper; a 3-pointer after stealing the ball from
Volunteer Andre Patterson and a shot in the lane that pushed New Mexico’s lead
up to 50-36 with 9:57 left.

Back-to-back baskets by Troy DeVries and David Chiotti finished the run and
gave New Mexico a 56-38 lead.

New Mexico hit 13 of its last 18 shots in the second half and shot 64
percent in the final 20 minutes. The Lobos also had a season-low 8 turnovers –
just 1 in the first half – and shut down the Volunteers’ inside game.

McFagdon was the only effective scorer for the Volunteers inside. He
finished with 16 points, 14 of them in the second half.

Five New Mexico players scored in double figures. DeVries scored 9 of the
Lobos’ first 17 points and finished with 16. Mark Walters scored 14, Chiotti 11
and Alfred Neale 10.

Tennessee center Brandon Crump, who had scored in double figures in the
Vols’ last four games, scored just two points.