Nov. 21, 2006
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Postgame Press Conference
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – J.R. Giddens and Aaron Johnson had double-doubles and New Mexico held Kansas State without a field goal for more than 10 minutes in the first half in a 78-54 win Tuesday night.
Giddens scored 21 points and had 12 rebounds and Johnson had 10 points and 14 rebounds.
New Mexico (4-0) handed Kansas State (3-1) and first-year coach Bob Huggins their first loss with its inside duo of Giddens and Johnson and some deft 3-point shooting in the second half.
Guard Blake Young scored 14 for the Wildcats and Cartier Martin added 11. David Hoskins, the Wildcats’ leading scorer who came in averaging 18.7 points a game, went scoreless until the 10:30 mark of the second half and finished with 2 points.
New Mexico pulled away in the first half with a 17-0 run that erased a 13-9 Kansas State lead and gave the Lobos a 26-13 edge with 6:56 left. The Wildcats got a 3-pointer from Young with 13:42, but didn’t score another field goal until Lance Harris hit a layup with 3:35 left. The only K-State points in that stretch were three free throws by Akeem Wright and two by Young.
The Lobos, who last week routed Colorado 106-65, turned this one into another runaway win with a trio of 3-pointers from reserves Chad Toppert and Darren Prentice over a 2 1/2 minute stretch in the second half.
Toppert hit a wide open 3 from the left baseline, Prentice swished one home from the left side and Toppert hit another one to push the lead to 57-35 with 11:53 left.
Kansas State then went to a zone trap – a staple of Huggins’ teams at Cincinnati – and forced several turnovers. By then the Lobos were safety in front.
Kansas State shot 28.6 percent and was equally inefficient at the foul line, where the Wildcats made 8 of 15 free throws.