Dec. 14, 2005
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Mark Walters scored 20 points, five of them on free throws in overtime, and New Mexico held off New Mexico State 71-68 Tuesday night.
Walters consistently hit big shots in the waning minutes of regulation and overtime. His 3-pointer with 20.5 seconds remaining in regulation tied it at 58 to force overtime and his three free throws in the final 18.6 seconds helped secure the Lobos’ 14th straight win at home.
Walters’ made up for the two free throws he missed with 1:44 left when the Lobos were down 56-55.
New Mexico (5-3) snapped a two-game losing streak and avoided a sweep by New Mexico State (3-5) of this year’s series between the state’s only Division I schools. The Aggies beat New Mexico 67-61 in Las Cruces 10 days ago.
Tyrone Nelson led the Aggies with 23 points and David Fisher had 10 points and 9 rebounds. But the Aggies missed five free throws in overtime, including a pair by guard Elijah Ingram with 4.2 seconds left and the Aggies down 71-68. After Ingram’s second miss, a scramble for the rebound ended in a tie ball but the Lobos got the ball on the alternate possession rule.
New Mexico State led 58-55 after Fisher scored a lay-up with 1:23 left. Things looked even better for the Aggies when New Mexico center David Chiotti was called for a charge. With New Mexico State milking the clock, Nelson was called for traveling with 34.2 seconds left and Walters tied it with a wide open 3 from the top of the key.
New Mexico State then got the ball in the hands of Ingram and he hit Nelson with a pass under the basket. Nelson appeared to be fouled by at least one Lobo, but there was no call as Nelson muscled up a 3-foot shot that came up short.
New Mexico got the final possession and Walters heaved a length-of-the-floor pass to Chiotti, who missed an off-balance 6-footer from the baseline as time ran out.
Chiotti scored 13 points while Walters had 7 rebounds. Ingram scored 11 points for NMSU and Shaun Davis had 10.
New Mexico State scored the final eight points of the first half to take a 32-28 lead at the break, then rallied from nine down midway through the second half with a 10-0 run. The run ended with a 3-pointer by Davis with 4:11 left that gave the Aggies a 52-51 lead.