Nov. 25, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
New Mexico returns home to face an old foe Saturday afternoon as the UTEP Miners come calling. Tipoff is 2:05 p.m. Mountain Time from The Pit/Bob King Court in Albuquerque. There is no television for the game, but live stats are available at www.golobos.com. It will be UNM’s fifth game in nine days. It’s also the beginning of a four-game home-and-home series between UNM and UTEP. New Mexico has won 12 straight home games.
The Lobos are 3-1 on the season after dropping a 68-56 decision at Kansas State. It was a tough one to swallow as UNM once led 30-14 and 35-26 at halftime. UTEP is 2-0 following home wins over Western New Mexico (78-51) and Texas-Permian Basin (97-54).
Saturday is a busy day in Lobo athletics. The men’s soccer team entertains Cal State Northridge at 6 p.m. in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, while women’s basketball hosts the final two games of its Thanksgiving tournament at 7 and 9 p.m. at The Pit.
SPONSORS, SPECIAL PROMOTIONS AND BANNER UNVEILING – Game sponsors include Verizon Wireless, Johnny Carinos and 92.3 KRST. The first 5,000 fans will receive UNM team cards.
Prior to the game, the Lobos will unveil two banners attained last year: the 2005 MWC Tournament Championship and 2005 NCAA Tournament.
Additionally, UNM and Verizon Wireless invite fans to donate their old cell phones and wireless accessories before the game. The items will be used to create a hopeline for domestic violence victims. Fans who donate will receive a free dessert coupon courtesy of Johnny Carinos.
NEW MEXICO-UTEP PREVIEW – While the schools have played 136 times since the initial meeting in 1929 – UNM leads the series 73-63 – this is the first confrontation since the 1999-2000 season. The Lobos and Miners played every yeay from 1955-99.
New Mexico has a 46-20 series advantage in games played at Albuquerque, including 24-9 in The Pit. The Miners did sweep the two games six years ago, winning 84-69 in El Paso and 73-66 in Albuquerque. UTEP’s win in The Pit snapped a nine-game Lobo winning streak in Albuquerque dating to 1990. Overall, UTEP has won three of the past four.
As members of the Western Athletic Conference from 1967-99, the Lobos and Miners met 66 times with UNM holding a slight 34-32 lead. UTEP is in its first season of competition in Conference USA.
Doc Sadler (Arkansas `82) is in his second season at UTEP and as a head coach. He had quite a debut last year, leading the Miners to a 27-8 record and a WAC Tournament title. UTEP lost to Utah in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Tucson. The Miners finished second during the WAC regular season with a 14-4 mark. New Mexico’s Ritchie McKay is facing UTEP for the first time in his career.
Both UTEP and UNM play their next game at New Mexico State. UTEP visits Las Cruces Wednesday while the Lobos will be in the Pan American Center next Saturday at 8. That game will be televised by KRQE. Today is UNM’s final home game until it hosts New Mexico State on Tuesday, Dec. 13.
LOBO HEAD COACH Ritchie McKay – Ritchie McKay is his fourth season in charge of Lobo hoops and his 11th year as a collegiate head coach. He was named UNM’s 18th head coach on March 28, 2002.
He has a career record of 136-129, 53-40 at New Mexico. McKay is 45-12 at home, 34-17 in all non-conference games, 29-7 in non-league games at The Pit and 5-10 in road/neutral games. He is 19-23 in MWC games, 16-5 at home and 3-18 on the road.
The 26-7 record in 2004-05 is easily McKay’s best season, surpassing a 19-11 ledger at Colorado State in 1998-99. The Lobos won the MWC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999. It was McKay’s first trip to the Big Dance.
McKay had previous two-year stops at Portland State (1996-98), Colorado State (1998-2000) and Oregon State (2000-02).
ROUGH START FOR McKAY AT UNM – It was a daunting challenging for McKay in his first two seasons at New Mexico. In his second game as Lobos head coach on Nov. 25, 2002, starting senior point guard Senque (sen-Q) Carey suffered a freak spinal cord injury in the first half against Northwestern (La.) State. He was partially paralyzed for several weeks before regaining full movement, but was unable to resume his playing career. Carey’s absence left New Mexico with just eight scholarship players and two walk-ons. Of those 10 players, seven were in their first year at UNM.
Sophomores Jamaal Williams (Washington) and Chad Bell (Nevada) transferred after the 2002-03 season, leaving New Mexico with just 10 scholarship players for the 2003-04. Mark Walters suffered a torn ACL in May of 2003 and never fully recovered until the 2004-05 season. In August of 2003, Billy Feeney, a promising 6-9 sophomore who had transferred from Portland State, took his own life.
The elimination of the 5/8 rule really helped before the 2004-05 campaign as it was able to add five scholarship players, reaching the full complement of 13.
LOBOS PREDICTED FOR 5TH-PLACE FINISH IN MOUNTAIN WEST – New Mexico was picked to finish fifth in the 2005-06 Mountain West Conference race during the league’s preseason media gathering last month in Salt Lake City. Voters were a combination of head coaches and media. UNM was picked to finish fourth in 2004-05, but ended up second behind Utah.
KANSAS STATE RECAP & NOTES – Cartier Martin had 22 points and 11 rebounds as Kansas State rallied from an early 16-point deficit to beat New Mexico 68-56. David Hoskins, a junior college transfer, added 17 points, including 10 straight at one point to help the Wildcats overcome a 35-26 halftime deficit.
New Mexico, which hit 56 percent of its shots in the first half and was 6-of-10 from beyond the 3-point arc, struggled from the field over the final 20 minutes. The Lobos missed all 11 of their second-half 3-point attempts as Kansas State turned up the defensive pressure.
Trailing 49-46 with 10:47 to go, Dramane Diarra scored inside and Martin added a basket a few minutes later to give Kansas State a 50-49 lead, its first since the game’s opening minute.
After David Chiotti scored to briefly regain the lead for New Mexico, Hoskins scored on four of the next five possessions to give the Kansas State the lead for good. Mark Walters hit four 3-pointers and scored 12 of his 16 points in the first half for the Lobos. Chiotti also finished with 16.
Kansas State got off only three shots in its first nine possessions as New Mexico raced to a 13-1 lead in the game’s opening minutes. Fueled by three consecutive 3-pointers from Walters, New Mexico opened a 30-14 lead with 4:30 to go in first half. But Martin scored six quick points and Akeem Wright scored at the horn to bring Kansas State to within nine.
The Wildcats made their first seven shots in the second half, while New Mexico suddenly went cold, including a nearly five-minute stretch without a basket.
The Lobos had won 21 straight games – and 28 of 29 – when leading at halftime before the loss at Kansas State…the last setback was at Oregon a year ago…UNM led the Ducks 43-41 before losing 79-75 at Eugene
The last time New Mexico lost at least a 9-point halftime lead was Jan. 27, 2003, at home to UNLV…UNM led the Runnin’ Rebels 41-32 at the break before falling 75-66
UNM made 12 of its first 16 shots from the floor, including 6 of 9 from 3-point…it finished the game by making just 7 of its last 36 (19%) shots, missing its final 11 tries from 3-point
Meanwhile, K-State started 1 of 11 from the field, getting its first basket at the 14:25 mark of the first half…the Wildcats then connected on 25 of their final 36 attempts, or 69%
The 21 second-half points are UNM’s fewest after intermission since scoring 21 at Utah (a 73-43 loss) on Feb. 23, 2004
New Mexico was outrebounded 33-20…that’s the fewest caroms for UNM in eight seasons, since gathering 20 in a 77-62 win over Colorado State on Feb. 7, 1998
Senior Mark Walters made a career-high four 3-pointers, all in the first 12:12 of the game…he missed his last five attempts
The Wildcats’ bench outscored UNM’s 23-6…the Lobo reserves were 2 of 11 from the field and collected 5 rebounds in 52 minutes
SEASON NOTES – The Lobos have won 12 straight home games, tying for the 13th longest streak in school history…it’s the longest run since taking 12 in a row from Feb. 19, 2000-Jan. 6, 2001…UNM’s last defeat in The Pit was a year ago to No. 5 Wake Forest
New Mexico opened the season by doing something it had not accomplished in 60 years and that is holding its first three opponents to less than 50 points…in 1945-46, UNM shackled New Mexico State twice (38-31 and 50-23) and Arizona (42-37) to begin the season
The 53-point victory margin over Ole Miss (95-42) ties for UNM’s 7th largest win in school history and ties for the 5th-widest margin in The Pit
Ole Miss shot 25.5% from the floor, the lowest by a Lobo opponent since Northwestern State was held to 24.2% (15-62) in The Pit on Dec. 28, 2003
UNM has a 67-31 margin in points off turnovers, 52-24 on 2nd-chance points and 32-9 on fast break points
The Lobos’ assist-to-turnover ratio is a sold 68 to 35, or nearly a 2-to-1 ratio…that’s 9.8 turnovers a game
New Mexico is averaging 8 steals a game and shooting 77% from the FT line
FIRST-HALF BURSTS – Getting off to goood starts has not been a problem for the Lobos. New Mexico led Ole Miss 13-11 with 10:59 left in the first half, then proceeded to finish the period with a 31-4 run and a 44-15 halftime lead.
Against Southern Utah, the Lobos trailed 10-2, missing five of their first six shots. A 20-2 sizzle made it 22-12 and UNM never trailed again. UNM bolted out to a 30-14 advantage at Kansas State, but lost 68-56.