Feb. 9, 2005
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The Air Force Falcons come to Albuquerque Monday night as New Mexico begins a pivotal three-game homestand. Tipoff is 10 p.m., Mountain Time from The Pit/Bob King Court for the ESPN national telecast.
BYU and Utah follow Air Force to Albuquerque as the Lobos close the regular season by playing four of their final six games at home. New Mexico is 14-1 in The Pit this year with the only loss coming against nationally-ranked Wake Forest. The Lobos have also captured 26 of their past 29 at Bob King Court.
New Mexico had a three-game winning streak come to an end last Monday in an 81-71 loss at Wyoming. UNM is 17-6 overall and 4-4 in the Mountain West Conference, currently tied with San Diego State for fourth place in the league.
Air Force is 15-8 in all games and resides in second place in the MWC with a 6-2 record. The Falcons have won three of their past four, the only loss in overtime at Wyoming last Saturday.
Monday’s game matches the league’s top-two 3-point shooting teams. Air Force leads the league at 8.57 treys a game, while the Lobos are a close second at 8.26 made.
The Falcons continue to lead the nation in two very important categories: scoring defense (52.7 ppg allowed) and fewest turnovers (9.2 a game). Air Force has forced a whopping 170 more turnovers (382 to 212) than it has committed for a turnover margin of +7.39 a game.
The Lobos know all too well about turning the ball over against the Falcons. In a 64-62 loss at the Academy last month, New Mexico was guilty of 23 miscues that Air Force turned into 31 points. UNM got just eight points following the Falcons’ 10 turnovers. That was a tough defeat for the Lobos as they shot 69.2% from the floor, tying for the 5th-best accuracy in school history.
During the current four-game losing streak to Air Force, the Lobos have averaged just 53.5 points. The turnover margin in those games is 62-38 in UNM’s disfavor.
A win over the Falcons would provide a couple of superlatives for New Mexico: it would halt a four-game losing streak to Air Force and it would give UNM its fifth conference win, equaling last year’s total.
The setback at Wyoming marked the first time in five games that UNM had lost a conference game with senior forward Danny Granger in the lineup. The All-America candidate – out for three games between Jan. 15-24 – was hurt in the first half of the Wyoming game on Jan. 8 and had surgery two days later.
How important is Granger to UNM? The Lobos are 17-3 when he plays, the only losses coming at Oregon, at home to 5th-ranked Wake Forest and at Wyoming. However, New Mexico is 0-3 when he is out of the lineup, all those being league contests on the road.
New Mexico currently has its highest season win (17) total since the 2000-01 team finished 21-13 under Fran Fraschilla.
After dropping 29 consecutive games away from The Pit, UNM is 3-5 on the road this year with wins at New Mexico State, Texas-Arlington and Colorado State. The setbacks have come at Oregon, Air Force, Utah, BYU and Wyoming.
NEW MEXICO VS. AIR FORCE – It’s the 55th meeting and the Falcons have won four straight for the first time since winning the first four games of the series between 1957-62…the Falcons have shot 50% or better in every contest of their winning streak, including 62.5% in The Pit a year ago…they swept last year for the first time in series history, winning in Albuquerque for the first time since 1962…UNM had won 22 in a row in the Duke City…the Lobos lead 23-3 in Albuquerque, including 22-1 in The Pit…the Falcons’ 26-point win (68-42) last year is their largest in series history…Air Force has won the last five on its home floor
LAST YEAR IN THE PIT – Nick Welch scored 18 points, including four straight 3-pointers in the second half, as Air Force blitzed UNM 68-42, the Falcons’ first win in Albuquerque in 42 years. AFA got its first victory ever in The Pit, snapping an 0-for-22 streak.
UNM led only once in the opening minutes of the game and had difficulty defending the Falcons’ 3-point shooting and defense, which held the Lobos to a season-low point total. Danny Granger was the only Lobo in double figures with 15 points.
The 42 points are the fewest by UNM at home since a 57-39 loss to Utah in 1999 and the third-lowest total scored by the Lobos in The Pit. The 26-point margin is the 4th-worst loss in the Pit overall and the 2nd-widest in a conference game.
JAN 15 AT THE USAFA – Nick Welch scored 19 points and Air Force won its 22nd straight home game, beating New Mexico 64-62 despite grabbing just nine rebounds and allowing the Lobos to shoot nearly 70 percent.
Air Force couldn’t stop the Lobos from hitting shots and had trouble getting inside for rebounds, making up for it by harassing the Lobos into 23 turnovers – 16 on steals – that led to 31 points.
New Mexico shot a staggering 69 percent, had just three players – Troy DeVries, Mark Walters and Alfred Neale – miss shots, and had a 28-9 rebounding advantage. Even with the mistakes, New Mexico still had a chance at the end.
The Lobos got within three on DeVries’ layup two minutes into the second half, then went more than six minutes without a field goal as Air Force pushed the lead to 45-36. New Mexico got close again, fell behind by 10, then made a late 11-0 run, taking a 58-57 lead on Neale’s 3-pointer with 46 seconds left.
Air Force took the lead right back with 29 seconds left, when Welch powered inside for a three-point play that made it 60-58.
The Lobos never got a chance to get it back. Matt McCraw snared another sloppy crosscourt pass by DeVries and hit two free throws with 21 seconds left to put the Falcons up four, then Welch hit two free throws after David Chiotti scored at the other end. Chiotti led New Mexico with 17 points and Neale added 15.
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 124-127, 41-38 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 13-23 in MWC games, 12-5 at home and 1-18 on the road.
McKay is 5-4 in his career vs. Air Force, 1-4 while at UNM. He is 1-1 at Albuquerque.
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 leading the nation in FG% after 17 games at 52.5%, the Lobos have converted just 40% (127-316) of their tries the past six games, dropping to 15th nationally at 49.3%…UNM is shooting just 44.6% in eight league games
The Lobos are 11-0 when scoring 80 or more points (17-1 the past two seasons) and 9-0 when holding opponents to less than 60 points
Through games of Monday, Feb. 7, Danny Granger remains the only player in NCAA Div. I basketball who is averaging at least 18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 2 assists a game…here’s how Granger ranked in the conference and nationally through Feb. 7:
Scoring – 18.4 – 2nd (MWC) – T45th (NCAA)
Rebounds – 9.1 – 3rd (MWC) – T28th (NCAA)
Steals – 2.35 – 1st (MWC) – T33rd (NCAA)
Blocks – 2.25 – 2nd (MWC) – 37th (NCAA)
FG% – 53.2 – 9th (MWC)
3-Pt. FG% – 47.8 – 3rd (MWC)
Assists – 2.20 – 14th (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, 28-14 when he is available. Granger became eligible on Dec. 21, 2003, after transferring from Bradley.
New Mexico did not have a field goal in the final 5:29 at Colorado State, and it’s last made basket at Wyoming came at the 2:43 mark
Senior G Troy DeVries continues to rank as the most accurate 3-point shooter in school history at 45.8%…he has made 120 of 262 treys in his 45-game Lobo career…Willie Banks is 2nd at 44.1% (78-177)…DeVries currently leads the MWC, averaging 2.87 treys a game and he is tied for 10th nationally in season percentage at 47.5%
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 so…trailing 38-29 after the 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 31.5% from 3-point range this year, a figure that would be the lowest since the 1999-2000 Lobos allowed 31.4%…only once since 1986-87 when the 3-point shot became part of the game has UNM allowed less than 30% for a season: 29.7% in 1992-93
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
New Mexico is 3-6 on the road this season, the most wins away from home since the 2000-01 team was 4-8
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 in 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 nine 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 476 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 55-47 victory at Colorado State snapped a 22-game losing streak in MWC road games and it was a 25-game skid when the past three seasons (losses) in the MWC Tournament were included…the last win had been on Jan. 28, 2002, also at Colorado State, by a score of 70-64
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
WYOMING RECAP – Jay Straight scored 24 points and 12 assists to guide Wyoming to an 81-71 win over New Mexico. The second half was especially hard-fought, with six lead changes. But the Cowboys won on a 13-0 run over the last two-and-a-half minutes of the game.
Though the Lobos gave up four of those final points on free throws, the others included a basket and 3-pointer from Straight, who ended the night 4 of 8 from that range, and a basket by Justin Williams. After Straight, Dion Sherrell scored 22 and Williams 12.
For New Mexico, Danny Granger led with 19. Alfred Neale had 14, Troy DeVries had 13 and David Chiotti 11.
The Cowboys entered the second half ahead 39-32, which faded into a 46-44 Lobos lead over the next several minutes on a basket by Neale, two free throws by Chiotti and a 3-pointer by Granger.
It was a hardscrabble ball game from there: Neither team got more than 3 points ahead over the next 11 minutes and the game was tied at 49, 61, 66 and 68.
In the first half, New Mexico took a 25-24 lead on a pair of baskets by Granger. Wyoming responded with an 11-0 run and a 35-25 lead, an advantage it held on to until halftime.
WYOMING POSTGAME NOTES
New Mexico has lost eight straight games to Wyoming in Laramie, the last win coming in 1995
Granger has scored 91 points in four career games – really 3 1/2 due to the injury Jan. 8 in Albuquerque – against Wyoming, or 22.8 ppg a game
New Mexico took a 71-68 lead when Troy DeVries made a 3-pointer with 2:43 remaining, but the Cowboys scored the game’s final 13 points…UNM’s last five possessions resulted in two turnovers and three missed shots
The game featured 8 ties and 17 lead changes
Wyoming’s Jay Straight finished with 24 points and 12 assists…the 24 points tie for the most against UNM this season (Utah’s Andrew Bogut also had 24), but it’s the most assists by a Lobo opponent this season…Straight has scored 118 points in his last six games against UNM, an average of 19.7 ppg
Lobo senior Alfred Neale came off the bench to score 14 points on 5-8 FGs, 3-6 on 3s and 1-2 FTs…Neale has scored in double figures in five straight games, averaging 13.6 ppg…the past three games, he’s 15 of 22 from the floor, including 9 of 16 from 3-point…Neale is averaging 12.4 ppg in MWC games after scoring just 8.7 ppg in non-conference encounters
One game after allowing its fewest points of the season – 47 at Colorado State – New Mexico gave up 81 points to Wyoming, tying for the most this season…Wake Forest also scored 81
New Mexico is now 0-5 this season when trailing at the half, 0-4 in MWC games…the Lobos trailed Wyoming 39-32 at the break
The UNM bench contributed 25 points, giving the reserves 51 points in the past two games
Junior post David Chiotti scored 8 of his 11 points in the 2nd half…he actually scored 8 of the Lobos’ first 11 points after halftime
Even though New Mexico had 13 turnovers to the Cowboys’ 11, Wyoming had a 21-11 scoring advantage in points off turnovers…UW also had a 42-28 lead in points in the paint