Feb. 16, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
New Mexico plays the middle game of a key three-game homestand Saturday evening as the BYU Cougars come to town. Tipoff is 7:07 p.m., Mountain Time from The Pit/Bob King Court. SportsWest will originate the telecast with local availability on KRQE-TV in Albuquerque. The game will also be available on the ESPN Full Court package (Channel 783 on DirecTV).
The current home stint got off to a good start Monday as UNM outlasted Air Force 63-52. The Lobos have won four of their past five and are now 18-6 overall, the highest win total since the 2000-01 team finished 21-13 under Fran Fraschilla.
UNM remains in fourth place in the Mountain West Conference at 5-4, but is just a game behind second-place Air Force (6-3). The Falcons host league-leader and white-hot Utah Saturday afternoon. Wyoming resides in third place at 6-4. The Cowboys are at home to UNLV and San Diego State this week.
BYU comes into The Pit with an overall mark of 9-16 after dispatching Colorado State 50-49 in Provo on Monday. The Cougars are 3-7 in league play.
|
The BYU game will be Alltel Team Trading Card Night as the first 5,000 fans will received Lobo trading cards courtesy of Alltel. |
The Lobos should be full strength for the return game with BYU. In the 68-53 loss to the Cougars Jan. 24, senior All-America candidate Danny Granger was sidelined with his well-documented knee injury and junior post David Chiotti missed the last 26 minutes with a bothersome hip flexor. That duo is currently averaging 28.3 points and 14.6 rebounds a game.
Granger was hurt in the first half of the Wyoming game on Jan. 8 and had surgery two days later. He missed three games between Jan. 15-24. UNM has won four of five since his return on Jan. 29.
How important is Granger to UNM? The Lobos are 18-3 when he plays (5-1 in MWC games), 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.
A win over the Cougars would provide New Mexico with its sixth conference win, surpassing last year’s total and it would be the most since UNM was 6-8 in 2000-01 and 2001-02.
Playing four of their final six MWC games at home, the Lobos are 15-1 in The Pit this year with the only loss coming against nationally-ranked Wake Forest. The 15 home wins are the most since the 2000-01 team went 15-4. The Lobos have also captured 27 of their past 30 at Bob King Court.
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.
PROMOTIONS & SPONSORS – The BYU game will be Alltel Team Trading Card Night as the first 5,000 fans will received Lobo trading cards courtesy of Alltel. The halftime performance we will Mascot Mania. The game sponsors are Alltel and 94 Rock.
Monday night, the first 10,000 fans will receive a Danny Granger All-America poster, courtesy of Pepsi. The Zooperstars will perform at halftime. Game sponsors include Pepsi, UPN-50 and Coyote 102.5 FM
UNM VS. BYU – Series Notes: It’s game No. 116 in a series that started Jan. 29, 1950. BYU has a 67-48 lead and has won 10 of the past 12 overall and 5 in a row in Provo. The Cougars lead 7-4 in MWC games. The Lobos’ only wins since March of 2000 both came in The Pit: 65-63 last year and 73-58 in 2002. UNM has a 30-24 advantage in Albuquerque, including 25-14 in The Pit.
Jan. 24 in Provo – Mike Rose came off the bench to score 21 points and lead BYU to a 68-53 win. The Cougars registered their first conference win of the season and snapped a three-game conference losing streak.
|
Monday night against Utah, the first 10,000 fans will receive a Danny Granger All-America poster, courtesy of Pepsi. |
BYU broke open a four-point game with a 10-2 run midway through the second half to take a 52-40 lead. The Lobos never got closer than 10 the rest of the way. Rose hit five 3-pointers, four in the second half. Keena Young and Derek Dawes each added 14 points for the Cougars.
Alfred Neale led the Lobos with 12 points who were again hurt by the injury bug as junior post David Chiotti missed the last 26 minutes due to a hip flexor. Danny Granger did not play.
BYU took a 33-25 lead at the half following a 9-3 run, and the Cougars scored nine of the first 10 points in the second half. Dawes had a game high 10 rebounds to help BYU to a 40-34 rebounding advantage.
Last year in Albuquerque – Danny Granger’s layup off a halfcourt pass from Troy DeVries with 1.9 seconds left gave New Mexico a thrilling 65-63 win over BYU. Granger, who scored 27 points, bailed out DeVries, who had a chance to break a 63-all tie but missed two free throws with 3.8 seconds remaining. DeVries went to the line after BYU’s Mark Bigelow was given a technical for running onto the court after teammate Kevin Woodberry’s tip-in tied the game with 4 seconds left. Bigelow had fouled out with 1:26 left in the game.
DeVries missed the free throws, but the Lobos retained possession. With Granger near the baseline under the New Mexico basket, DeVries threw the ball to him and Granger beat BYU center Rafael Araujo to the basket, his layup just managing to roll in.
BYU grabbed a 61-60 lead with 29.6 seconds left when Araujo made one of two free throws. The Lobos countered when Javin Tindall’s second three of the night gave UNM a 63-61 lead with 15 seconds remaining.
Granger was the difference in a game that saw 14 ties and 16 lead changes. He also had 8 rebounds, six blocks and three assists. Granger didn’t get his first field goal until the 11:32 mark of the first half, but finished with 15 points in the first half.
UTES IN TOWN MONDAY – Riding a 17-game winning streak and a No. 14 ranking in this week’s AP poll, the streaking Utah Utes will be in Albuquerque Monday night. Tipoff is 7 p.m. Utah is 21-3 heading into Saturday’s contest at Air Force. The Utes’ last loss was 67-62 at Arizona on Dec. 11. Picked to finish second behind UNLV in the MWC preseason poll, Utah is a perfect 10-0 in MWC play.
Utah is currently 2nd in the nation in FG percentage (52.6), 3rd in rebound margin (+11.8) and 6th in scoring defense (56.6 ppg), all categories that provide solid evidence for a fantastic season.
Sophomore Andrew Bogut is having a monster year, and he has been unworldly the past few games. The 7-foot Aussie leads the MWC in scoring (20.5 ppg), is the nation’s top rebounder (11.9 rpg) and is No. 3 in the nation in FG percentage at 64.7%.
The past two games, Bogut has scored 64 points, making 19-30 FGs and 26-30 FTs, plus 29 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 blocks. He’s only missed one minute in the past two contests and has played the entire 40 minutes five times this year.
This will be the 31st time the Lobos have faced a nationally-ranked Utah team. UNM is 9-21 in the previous 30 games overall, but has captured five of the past six meetings in The Pit since the 1996 Western Athletic Conference Tournament. A look at the Lobos vs. ranked Utah teams in Albuquerque since the 1990-91 season. Parenthesis indicate ranking at the time:
Feb. 2, 1991 New Mexico 68, (13) Utah 62
March 4, 1993 New Mexico 69, (9) Utah 59
March 10, 1995 (22) Utah 86, New Mexico 50 – WAC Tournament semis
Jan. 27, 1996 (10) Utah 82, New Mexico 64
March 9, 1996 New Mexico 64, (10) Utah 60 – WAC Tournament title game
Feb. 1, 1997 (13) New Mexico 87, (4) Utah 71
Feb. 1, 1998 (14) New Mexico 77, (3) Utah 74 – Royce Olney’s shot wins it…Utah came in 18-0
Feb. 1, 1999 (20) Utah 57, (17) New Mexico 39
Feb. 19, 2000 New Mexico 72, (21) Utah 65
March 1, 2003 New Mexico 76, (22) Utah 69
UNM VS. RANKED TEAMS – New Mexico has a 47-108 all-time record against ranked opponents, including an 81-64 setback to No. 5 Wake Forest on Dec. 22. The record breaks down to 34-49 at home, 10-51 on the road and 3-8 on neutral floors. The Lobos are 1-5 in their last six tries against ranked foes, the lone win 76-69 over 22nd-ranked Utah in The Pit on March 1, 2003.
UNM is 3-6 in its last nine games against ranked opposition. Included in that total is a 70-68 triumph at No. 2 Arizona on Dec. 21, 1999, halting the Wildcats’ 37-game homecourt winning streak.
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 125-127, 42-38 at New Mexico. While at UNM, McKay is 39-12 at home, 28-14 in non-conference games and 26-7 in non-league games at The Pit. He is 14-23 in MWC games, 13-5 at home and 1-18 on the road.
McKay is 2-6 in his career vs. BYU, 1-4 while at New Mexico. 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.
THE INJURY LOG – New Mexico got off to a 14-2 start with all team members healthy. Danny Granger went down with a knee injury Jan. 8 against Wyoming and the Lobos lost their next three games. At BYU on Jan. 24, already minus Granger, starting post David Chiotti missed the final 26 minutes of the game with a hip flexor. Then, on Jan. 26, starting point guard Kris Collins broke his right foot in practice and is likely lost for the season.
MORE ON GRANGER – Through games of Monday, Feb. 14, 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 ranks in the conference and nationally through Feb. 14:
Scoring – 18.4 – 2nd (MWC) – 46th (NCAA)
Rebounds – 9.1 – 2nd (MWC) – 26th (NCAA)
Steals – 2.35 – 1st (MWC) – 42nd (NCAA)
Blocks – 2.25 – 2nd (MWC) – T34th (NCAA)
FG% – 53.2 – 9th (MWC)
3-Pt. FG% – 47.8 – 3rd (MWC)
Assists – 2.24 – 14th (MWC)
Surprisingly, 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, 29-14 when he is available. Granger became eligible on Dec. 21, 2003, after transferring from Bradley.
Granger is on the “Watch List” for the 2005 Creamland Dairies Collegiate Basketball Award of Excellence, which honors college seniors for their athletic and academic achievement as well as their community involvement.
He is also a nominee for the 2005 Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award. The Senior CLASS Award recognizes student-athletes for great achievement on the court and in the classroom while staying in school. CLASS stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School.
DEVRIES MAKING A MARK – Senior guard Troy DeVries continues to rank as the most accurate 3-point shooter in school history at 45.5%. He has made 122 of 268 treys in his 46-game Lobo career. Willie Banks is 2nd at 44.1% (78-177).
DeVries currently leads the MWC, averaging 2.83 treys a game, and he is 11th nationally in percentage at 46.3%.
DeVries has made a three-point basket in 21 straight games, tying Lamont Long for the 4th longest streak at UNM. DeVries last failed to make a 3-pointer in the third game of the season against Duquesne when he missed four attempts.
At 68 made this year, DeVries is four away from moving into the top-10 for a single-season at UNM. He needs nine to crack the top-10 for a career.
QUICK HITS
After leading the nation in FG% after 17 games at 52.5%, the Lobos have converted just 41.5% (149-359) of their tries the past seven games, dropping to 14th nationally at 49.4%…UNM is shooting 45.2% in league games
The Lobos are 11-0 when scoring 80 or more points (17-1 the past two seasons) and 10-0 when holding opponents to less than 60 points
UNM is 26-3 at home since Danny Granger and Troy DeVries joined the team on Dec. 21, 2003
The Lobos are 18-1 when leading at half this year, 5-0 in MWC games…the only loss came at Oregon when it led 43-41, but lost 79-75
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 12-1 in such situations this year, 67-5 since 2000-01 and 164-14 since the 1995-96 season
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 31.9% from 3-point range, 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 was introduced 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 13 times this season, including 69.2% at Air Force, tying for the 5th-best percentage in school history…UNM has eclipsed 60% five times this season
Shooting 38.4% from 3-point range, New Mexico is enjoying its best accuracy from the arc since the 1997-98 team makde 40.2% of its tries
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 10 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 477 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
AIR FORCE RECAP – Alfred Neale scored 18 points and Danny Granger got his 10th double-double of the season in New Mexico’s 63-52 win over Air Force.
Senior Alfred Neale led UNM with 18 points agianst Air Force. |
Neale, the Lobos’ sixth man most of the season, got to start and made the most of it. He hit 8 of 11 shots and sparked an 11-0 run by New Mexico to start the game, scoring on a reverse layup, a 3-pointer and an offensive rebound basket. Granger, held to four points in the first half, finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds.
New Mexico used its quickness on defense to force the Falcons into low-percentage shots most of the game. Air Force got its first points of the game on a 3-pointer by Matt McGraw with 13:08 left in the first half. McGraw, who was 5-for-6 on 3s, led the Falcons with 17 points. Dan Nwaelele added 12, but Air Force hit just 19 of 53 shots. The Falcons stayed close by hitting 10 3s.
After the sluggish start, the Falcons steadily chipped away at the Lobos’ early lead and got their only tie of the game after New Mexico reserve center Sean Phaler was called for a flagrant foul with 59 seconds left in the first half. Air Force center Nick Welch got a steal and a layup to get the Falcons within 23-22. As Welch tried to get back up the court, Phaler pushed him into the stands. Welch hit one of the two free throws off the technical, but New Mexico went ahead on a layup by David Chiotti just ahead of the first half buzzer.
The Falcons’ shooting troubles resurfaced in the second half, as Air Force scored just four points in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
New Mexico parlayed that drought into a 41-27 lead with 9:36 left thanks to a 12-0 run. But the Falcons mounted one last run, cutting it to 48-41 on a 3-pointer by McGraw with 4:46 left. That rally ended as New Mexico countered with a layup by Chiotti and a slam dunk by Neale.
AIR FORCE POSTGAME NOTES
New Mexico broke a four-game losing streak to Air Force with the 63-52 win…New Mexico is now 40-15 all time against the Falcons, including a 23-1 record in The Pit
UNM head coach Ritchie McKay used his 5th different starting lineup in the past 9 games, going with Danny Granger, David Chiotti, Alfred Neale, Troy DeVries and Mark Walters…it was the first time that quintet has started a game this season…they were 1-0 last year, winning at home against BYU…New Mexico had the same five starters in the first 16 games of the year before Granger went down with his knee injury
The Lobos’ starting frontcourt of Neale, Granger and Chiotti combined for 49 of the team’s 63 points, helping UNM hold a 34-14 advantage in points in the paint
Neale got his fourth start of the season, finishing with 18 points and 7 rebounds …the past six games, Neale has averaged 14.3 ppg on 33-57 FGs (58%), including 13-30 from 3-point (43%)…the past 4 games, he has averaged 15.5, making 23-33 FGs (70%), including 11-20 from 3-point range (55%)
New Mexico opened the game with an 11-0 run with Neale scoring 9 of the points…Air Force’s first basket came at the 13:08 mark…the Falcons were 0-7 from the floor with two turnovers until their first basket…New Mexico led the entire first half, except for a 23-23 tie…UNM scored its fewest first-half points in 16 home games (scored 29 vs. Tennessee)
Danny Granger finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds for his 28th career double-double…Granger has 17 double-doubles as a Lobo, including 10 this season
New Mexico had 13 turnovers…in its meeting earlier this season UNM turned the ball over 23 times, which led to a 31-8 Air Force advantage on points off turnovers