Feb. 2, 2005
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The Lobos’ next home game is Monday, February 14, against Air Force. To purchase tickets click here.
The New Mexico Lobos reach the halfway point of Mountain West Conference play Saturday when they visit Colorado State. Tipoff is 8:05 p.m., Mountain Time from Moby Arena in Fort Collins.
The game will be televised live on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain with local availability on KRQE-TV in Albuquerque. The Lobos visit Wyoming Monday before returning home to host Air Force on Monday, Feb. 14.
With senior All-America candidate Danny Granger back in tow after knee surgery, New Mexico has won two straight to improve to 16-5 overall and 3-3 in the Mountain West Conference. UNM enters the weekend tied with San Diego State and Wyoming for third place in the league.
The latest victory was 88-71 over San Diego State Monday, which is 26 points more than UNM had scored in any of its previous four games and the program’s largest winning margin in an MWC contest since overtaking UNLV 75-56 on Feb. 19, 2001.
Granger missed three games – all losses – after suffering an injury to his left knee in the first half of UNM’s 89-75 victory over Wyoming on Jan. 8. He had arthroscopic surgery on Jan. 10.
How important is Granger to UNM? The Lobos are 16-2 when he plays, the only losses coming at Oregon and at home to 5th-ranked Wake Forest. New Mexico is 0-3 when he watches from the bench.
The triumph over San Diego State gives New Mexico its best 21-game record since it was 17-4 in 1998-99. The Lobos are 14-1 in The Pit this year and have captured 26 of their past 29 home games.
Now, New Mexico has its sights set on winning a conference road game for the first time in more than three years. The Lobos are in the throes of a 22-game losing streak in regular-season conference road affairs, and it’s 25 in a row when you include the MWC Tournament the past three years. The last win? 70-64 at Colorado State on Jan. 28, 2002.
A win in Fort Collins would also provide New Mexico with its highest win total since the 2000-01 team went 21-13 under Fran Fraschilla.
After dropping 29 consecutive games away from The Pit, UNM is 2-4 on the road this year with wins at New Mexico State and Texas-Arlington. The setbacks have come at Oregon, Air Force, Utah and BYU.
Colorado State is 9-10 overall and 1-5 in the MWC after dropping a 69-56 decision at Wyoming last Saturday. The Rams have lost four straight and six of seven after an 8-4 start.
CSU finished 13-16 last year, losing to UNLV in the semifinals of the MWC Tournament. The Rams finished tied for seventh in the MWC regular season at 4-10.
Colorado State started three true freshmen against Wyoming, and the Rams also boast a trio of 7-footers across the front line. Senior post Matt Nelson is 5th in the nation in FG percentage at 64.7%.
Twelve different Rams have started at least two games this season.
Saturday’s game in Fort Collins pits a pair of old friends. UNM’s Ritchie McKay worked for current Colorado State boss Dale Layer at Queens College in North Carolina during the 1989-90 season when Layer was the head coach there. And, McKay was succeeded by Layer as head coach at Colorado State following the 1999-2000 season. McKay was 37-23 in his two years with the Rams, including an NIT appearance in 1998-99.
UNM VS. COLORADO STATE – UNM has a 55-40 lead and has won 16 of the past 18 since Feb. 12, 1994. Each team won on its home floor last year. The Lobos have an 8-2 lead in MWC games. CSU leads 27-16 in Fort Collins, including 18-15 at Moby Arena and it has won the past two after UNM had taken six in a row there. The Rams have not beaten the Lobos three straight times at Moby since a 4-game run between 1988-91. New Mexico’s last conference road win came in Fort Collins in 2002.
LAST YEAR IN FORT COLLINS – Colorado State got 25 points from Matt Nelson as the Rams knocked off New Mexico 76-66 in the final game of the regular season for both teams.
New Mexico took a 17-13 lead as freshman Lenny Miles tossed down three 3s to start the game. The Rams countered with an 8-0 run for a 21-17 advantage. Two free throws by Javin Tindall and a trey by Danny Granger provided UNM with its last lead at 22-21.
The Lobos closed a nine-point gap to four at 61-57 with 9:02 left on a putback by Justin Benson, but UNM did not make a basket the rest of the way, missing its last nine attempts.
Granger led the Lobos with 19 points and 11 rebounds. David Chiotti added 15 while Miles put in 10 in his first starting nod since Dec. 8. New Mexico shot 33.3% (17-51) for the game and made just one field goal in the final 11 minutes. The Lobos were 7 of 20 from 3-point, but missed 10 of their last 11 after starting 6 of 9.
LAST YEAR IN ALBUQUERQUE – Troy DeVries scored 15 points and freshman guard Lenny Miles provided the energy in New Mexico’s 63-51 win over Colorado State. New Mexico never trailed and broke the game open behind the early second-half scoring of David Chiotti and Alfred Neale and Miles’ hustle at both ends of the court. Chiotti and Danny Granger each scored 13 points and Neale had 9 points and 8 rebounds.
The Lobos pulled away from a 28-22 lead early in the second half as Chiotti and Neale combined for 12 points. Chiotti scored New Mexico’s first five points of the second half and later added a layup, while Neale scored off an offensive rebound and connected on a 3-pointer. That put New Mexico up 40-30 and the Rams got no closer the rest of the way.
Coming off the bench, Miles played 24 minutes, the most since early December. He scored just two points but tied his season-high with five rebounds and got the Lobo crowd of more than 16,000 into the game with his quickness and reckless style of play.
At one point he leaped over the scorer’s table, nearly colliding with a concrete barrier behind the New Mexico bench while chasing a loose ball. He also set up a couple of teammates for easy baskets with his passing and had a block late in the game.
THE NUMBERS WITH AND WITHOUT DANNY – As expected, UNM’s statistics with All-America candidate Danny Granger in the lineup versus his sitting on the bench are dramatically different, the most glaring being the record: 15-2 with DG, 0-3 without.
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 123-126, 40-37 at New Mexico. While at UNM, McKay is 38-12 at home, 28-14 in non-conference games and 26-7 in non-league games at The Pit. He is 12-22 in MWC games, 12-5 at home and 0-17 on the road.
McKay is 2-2 in his career vs. Colorado State, 0-2 at Fort Collins. 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.
QUICK HITS
After shooting 58.3% against San Diego State, the Lobos moved from 10th to 9th in the nation in FG percentage at 50.3% through games of Jan. 31
The Lobos are 11-0 when scoring 80 or more points (17-1 the past two seasons) and 8-0 when holding opponents to less than 60 points
Through games of Monday, Jan. 31, Danny Granger remains the only player in NCAA Div. I basketball who is averaging at least 18.5 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 2 assists a game…here’s how Granger ranks in the conference and nationally through Jan. 31:
Scoring – 18.7 – 2nd (MWC) – T38th (NCAA)
Rebounds – 9.0 – 3rd (MWC) – T33rd (NCAA)
Steals – 2.50 – 1st (MWC) – T24th (NCAA)
Blocks – 2.33 – 2nd (MWC) – 32nd (NCAA)
FG% – 55.7 – 9th (MWC) – 48th (NCAA)
3-Pt. FG% – 48.3 – 3rd (MWC)
Assists – 2.11 – 15th (MWC)
Interestingly, of the top-40 players in the nation in steals, Granger is the tallest at 6-8.
After averaging 19.5 points and 9.0 rebounds a year ago, Granger is attempting to become just the third Lobo to average more than 19 points and 9 rebounds twice in a career, joining Mel Daniels (1966-67) and Willie Long (1970-71).
The Lobos are 3-6 the past two seasons without Danny Granger, 27-13 when he is available. Granger became eligible on Dec. 21, 2003, after transferring from Bradley.
With an inside presence lacking on the most recent road trip to Utah and BYU, the Utes’ Andrew Bogut (24 points and 20 rebounds) and the Cougars’ Derek Dawes (14 and 10) combined for 38 points and 30 rebounds
Senior G Troy DeVries ranks No. 1 at UNM in career 3-point FG accuracy at 46.2%…he has made 115 of 249 treys in his 43-game Lobo career…Willie Banks is 2nd at 44.1% (78-177)…DeVries currently ranks 1st in the MWC, averaging 2.9 treys a game
DeVries is 16 of 27 (59%) from 3-point the past 6 games and 31 of 54 (57%) the past 9 games…overall, he ranks 4th in the loop and 10th nationally, making 47.7% of his 3s on the season
New Mexico is 25-3 at home since Danny Granger and Troy DeVries joined the team on Dec. 21, 2003
The Lobos beat UNLV 62-58, but had to overcome a 9-point deficit to do do…trailing 38-29 afterthe Rebels scored the first 14 points of the second half, UNM overcame its largest second-half deficit under Ritchie McKay and the biggest since trailing Pepperdine 69-59 in the 2001 postseason NIT…the Lobos won that game 81-78…in McKay’s second game as Lobos’ coach, UNM did come back from a 29-15 hole in the first half against Northwestern State to win 60-56
Opponents are shooting just 31.1% from 3-point range this year, and only 28.3% (32-113) the past 7 games
The Lobos have only played three games this year decided by five points or less and they are 1-2 in such situations…both losses were on the road, 79-75 at Oregon and 64-62 at Air Force
The six-game winning streak from Nov. 27-Dec. 18 is the longest for a Ritchie McKay-coached team and the best by New Mexico since it captured eight straight during the 2001-02 season
The Lobos have shot 50% or better 12 times this season, including 69.2% at Air Force on Jan. 15, tying for the 5th-best percentage in school history…UNM has eclpsed 60% five times this year
Head coach Ritchie McKay used the same starting lineup in the first 16 games of the season…that’s quite a change from his first two Lobo teams as he used nine different quintets last season and a whopping 16 sets in 2002-03…the last time New Mexico employed the same five starters for more than 20 games was 2000-01 when Eric Chatfield, Ruben Douglas, Marlon Parmer, Brian Smith and Wayland White drew the nod 22 times
However, due to injuries, McKay had to utilize three different starting lineups four games between Jan. 15-29
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
The Lobos lost at Air Force 64-62 despite tying for the 5th-best shooting game in school history (69.2%) and outrebounding the Falcons 28-9…the Lobos made 27 of 39 shots, the best accuracy since 36 of 52 – also 69.2% – at BYU on Feb. 27, 1997…turnovers were the story as New Mexico committed 23…Air Force had a whopping 31-8 scoring edge in points off of turnovers, including 20-0 in the first half
New Mexico has limited opponents to 60 points or less eight times this season, winning all of them…they did so only nine times all of last year and on only six occasions in 2002-03
UNM has made a 3-point basket in 474 straight games, the 12th-longest active streak in NCAA Div. I hoops…UNLV is 1st at more than 580
A Lobo has led the MWC in scoring four of the first five years the league has been in existence…Lamont Long won the crown in 1999-2000 at 18.7 ppg…after a one-year absence, Ruben Douglas captured consecutive titles in 2001-02 (18.1 ppg) and 2002-03 (28.0)…Danny Granger took the 2003-04 crown at 19.5 ppg
New Mexico’s 27-game road losing streak – 29 in a row including neutral sites – ended with an 84-66 victory at New Mexico State on Dec. 4…after the win at UT-Arlington, the Lobos registered back-to-back road victories for the first time since taking three straight in 2000-01
The Lobos saw three winning streaks come to an end in the 81-64 setback to No. 5 Wake Forest on Dec. 22: six straight wins overall, nine straight at home and 14 consecutive non-conference victories at The Pit
SAN DIEGO STATE RECAP – Danny Granger, seemingly back at full speed after undergoing surgery on his left knee three weeks ago, scored 21 points as New Mexico beat San Diego State 88-71 Monday night. Granger, who injured the knee in the Lobos’ win over Wyoming on Jan. 8, missed three games, all of which New Mexico lost. He returned Saturday to help New Mexico beat UNLV and hit 6 of 10 shots and had 9 rebounds and three blocks against San Diego State.
Granger, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds but played tentatively in the 62-58 win over UNLV, was more aggressive and back in a grove against the Aztecs. New Mexico (16-5, 3-3 Mountain West) pulled away from the Aztecs (9-10, 3-3 MWC) late in the first half with an 18-5 run.
Granger’s return to form and the Lobos’ defense on the Aztecs’ two leading scorers, Marcus Slaughter and Brandon Heath, were the difference.
Slaughter, who came in averaging 17.9 points and 9 rebounds a game, failed to score in the first half and finished with a season-low 11 points. But he did keep intact his streak of having scored in double figures in every game this season. But by the time Slaughter got his first points, a pair of free throws with 17:32 left in the game, New Mexico had a 14-point lead. Slaughter took only seven shots and hit just two. Heath, the team’s leading scorer (18.6 points), also scored 11 and hit just 3 of 12 shots. Chris Walton led the Aztecs with 14 points. Slaughter had 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the year.
There were six ties and seven lead changes in the first 15 minutes. A 3-pointer by Alfred Neale put the Lobos in front for good at 26-23 with 7:31 left in the opening period.
After 3s by each team, an 8-0 Lobo run ensued as Mark Walters hit a reverse layup, Tony Danridge had a slam, Granger scored from the top of the key and Troy DeVries hit a layup. A layup by Walters and a 3-pointer by DeVries to open the second half made it 45-31 and the Aztecs got no closer than eight points the rest of the way. Neale added a season-high 20 points, hitting 7 of 8 shots, while DeVries scored 18 and Walters 13.
SAN DIEGO STATE POSTGAME NOTES
The Lobos are now 14-1 in The Pit this year, and 3-0 in conference play…UNM also defeated San Diego State for the 19th time in the past 20 meetings in Albuquerque…New Mexico has a 23-4 record against the Aztecs all-time in The Pit
After shooting less than 40% from the floor in its three previous games, New Mexico knocked down 60% (12-20) of its shots in the first half and went on to finish with a .583 field goal percentage (28-48)…it was the Lobos’ best shooting performance at home since hitting 62.3% (33-53) in a 88-66 victory over Troy on Dec. 29
UNM also made 12-25 (48%) from 3-point range after connecting on just 6 of 28 attempts (21.4%) two nights earlier vs. UNLV…the 12 3s are the team’s best output in 8 games, since hitting 12-24 vs. Troy…SDSU, meanwhile, hit just 2-12 from beyond the arc in the second half after canning 4 of its first 9 attempts in the opening period
New Mexico’s 40 first half points were its most in five games, since tallying 49 with a healthy Danny Granger in the lineup vs. Wyoming
In his second game back after missing three contests due to knee surgery, UNM senior forward Danny Granger scored 21 points (6-10 FGs), recorded 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 more steals…after tallying 11 points on 4-12 shooting in his return to the lineup on Jan. 29 vs. UNLV, Granger poured in 14 in the first half alone (4-6 FGs)…he also finished 3-6 from 3-point range after a uncharacteristic 0-6 line two nights before
New Mexico senior forward Alfred Neale scored a season-high 20 points off the bench, including two more dunks off alley-oop passes…he matched his best effort of the year with 4 3-pointers…Neale, who had hit just 3 of his previous 16 attempts (19%) over the past 3 games, missed just once from beyond the arc…he also set a season-high with 5 assists and gathered 6 rebounds in 28 minutes
Prior to his marksmanship against San Diego State, Neale had converted just 16 of his last 65 3-point attempts (24.6%) the previous 16 games…he tied a season-high with the 4 treys last accomplished at Oregon on Nov. 22
UNM senior guard Troy DeVries finished with a season-high 6 rebounds and broke out of a brief scoring slump with an 18-point effort on 5-10 shooting from the field…he had scored a total of 12 points in his previous 2 games
San Diego State’s Brandon Heath and Marcus Slaughter were held to a combined 22 points on 5-19 shooting (26%)…the duo entered the night averaging 18.6 and 17.9 points per game (36.5 combined ppg), respectively…Slaughter’s total is a season-low
ALMOST A 16-0 START – Had it not been for a couple of poor-shooting second halves, the Lobos could have started 16-0. On Nov. 22 at Oregon, UNM led 43-41 at halftime. The Lobos trailed by nine twice in the second half, but made it a 2-point game with 16 seconds remaining before falling 79-75. New Mexico hung around despite shooting just 26% (8-31) after halftime, including 22% (4-18) from 3-point.
The Lobos were held to 32.8% accuracy (20-61) by No. 5 Wake Forest in The Pit on Dec. 22, but it was a 4-point game with 11:39 remaining and UNM trailed by just seven at the 8:23 mark. The Demon Deacons eventually won 81-64 to halt UNM’s 6-game winning streak.
NICE NUMBERS…
The Lobos are shooting 50.3% from the field…New Mexico has shot better than 50% for an entire season only five times since 1950-51 when stats became official…only three teams – Oklahoma State, Gonzaga and Utah State – finished the 2003-04 season converting at least 50% of their attempts from the floor..the UNM record is 54.5% set in 1988-89
UNM is averaging 78.6 points per game compared to just 69.6 ppg last year…the last Lobo team to average at least 80 for the season was the 1986-87 squad at 80.8 ppg
DOMINATING AT HOME – Before the loss to Wake Forest, the Lobos had won their first nine home games for the first time since the 1998-99 season when they took 16 in a row. They are 14-1 in The Pit this year and have captured 26 of their past 29 at home.
SHOOT BETTER AND WIN…MOST OF THE TIME – The Lobos had won 30 straight games when shooting better than their opponent until the loss at Air Force on Jan. 15. The previous loss was at Tennessee on Jan. 4, 2003. UNM shot 45% (18-40) to the Vols’ 43% (22-51). New Mexico is 65-5 in such situations since 2000-01, 162-14 since the 1995-96 season.