Dec. 12, 2006
North Carolina A&T Release in PDF Format
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — After a tough road swing to UTEP and New Mexico State followed by final exams, the New Mexico Lobos (5-2) return to their home floor for three games in four days. The gamefest begins Saturday afternoon when UNM hosts North Carolina A&T (3-5). Tipoff is 1:05 p.m. MST from The Pit/Bob King Court in Albuquerque.
The North Carolina A&T game is Youth Day as tickets are just $5 for ages 18 and under. Also, the first 5,000 fans will receive Howl Towels courtesy fo Sprint. Game sponsors include Sprint and 1310 The Ticket. The annual Mascot Mania basketball scirmmage will be held at halftime.
A little more than 24 hours after the North Carolina A&T game in over, the Lobos will entertain Longwood (3-7) in the first round of the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic at 6. The second-round contest pits New Mexico against Charleston Southern (5-4) Tuesday at 7.
Eight teams move to Las Vegas next weekend for the final two games of the tournament. The Lobos face nationally-ranked Wichita State Dec. 22 at 8:30 p.m. at the Orleans Arena. On Saturday, Dec. 23, New Mexico will meet either Kansas State or Southern Cal depending on the outcomes from the previous night. Game times are 6 and 8:30 p.m. MST. UNM knocked off K-State 78-54 last month in The Pit.
Wichita State and Kansas State both host Maryland-Eastern Shore and Kennesaw State Sunday and on Dec. 19.
All told, the Lobos will pack five games into eight days between Dec. 16-23 before taking a few days off for the Christmas holiday.
After opening the season at home with a five-game winning streak and its best start in seven years, UNM was humbled on the road. UTEP ran past the Lobos 87-63, then New Mexico State gained revenge from a loss in The Pit with a resounding 103-72 victory in Las Cruces.
New Mexico has lost eight straight non-conference games away from Albuquerque. The last win came against Utah in the championship game of the 2005 MWC Tournament.
However, the Lobos have won six straight at The Pit and are 38-3 on their home floor since the start of the 2004-05 season. UNM’s winning margin at home this season is a whopping 28.2 points.
STUDENT TICKET PICK-UP IS WEDNESDAY
Tickets for Lobo men’s basketball are free for all full-time UNM students (enrolled in 6+ hours) during the 2006-07 season. Students can pick up tickets Wednesday for the Comcast Lobo Invitational (Dec.28-29), Colorado State (Jan. 6) and Utah (Jan. 13) games.
Tickets are available at the Center for the Arts ticket window outside of Popejoy Hall Wednesday from 7:30-11 a.m. After that time, tickets can be picked up at the UNM Bookstore or the Lobo Ticket Office at The Pit.
See p. 2 of this release for more information on student tickets.
ABOUT THE UPCOMING OPPONENTS
North Carolina A&T comes to Albuquerque with a 3-5 record. All three wins have come at home in Greensboro, N.C., while the Aggies’ five losses came on the road. Included in their win total is a 71-59 decision over Longwood on Nov. 28.
UNM defeated North Carolina A&T 75-59 at The Pit on Nov. 12, 2004. It was the season opener and the first game of the NABC Classic. It was also the first collegiate game for current Lobos Tony Danridge and Darren Prentice. Danridge scored four points in 17 minutes while Prentice had a 3-pointer in eight minutes of action.
After missing two games with an injury, 5-11 A&T junior guard Steven Rush returned last week to score 18 points in a 92-58 win over St. Andrews. Jason Wills (13.3 ppg) and Austin Ewing (11.9 ppg) are also averaging in double figures.
The Aggies were 6-23 last year, 6-12 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. They are 0-1 in the MEAC this season after a 77-67 loss at Southe Carolina State on Dec. 2.
Former Louisville standout Jerry Eaves is in his fourth season at North Carolina A&T where he has an 18-77 record.
The first round of the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic starts Sunday when the Lobos and the Longwood Lancers meeting for the first time.
Located in Farmville, Va., and an independent in NCAA Div. I, Longwood is 3-8 after an 89-61 loss at Liberty last Saturday. The Lancers have lost five in a row. Sunday’s game will be Longwood’s eighth away from home so far this season. Longwood will play 17 road games in 2006-07.
Senior swingman Maurice Sumter leads three players in double figures at 17.1 points a game.
Head coach Mike Gillian is 19-80 in his fourth season at Longwood. The Lancers finished 10-20 a year ago.
The second round of the Las Vegas Classic pits UNM against Charleston Southern. The Buccaneers were 5-4 going into Sunday’s game at Southern Cal. All four losses have come on the road at Furman, Tulane, Clemson and Mercer. This is UNM’s first game against CSU.
Members of the Big South Conference, Charleston Southern was 13-16 a year ago, 7-9 in league play.
Junior guard Chris Moore was one of four Bucs scoring in double figures at 14.3 points a game.
Head coach Barclay Radebaugh is 18-20 in his second season with Charleston Southern.
LOBO HEAD COACH Ritchie McKay
Ritchie McKay is in his fifth season in charge of Lobo hoops and 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 155-143, 72-54 in his fifth season at New Mexico, The Lobos are 48-22 since the start of the 2004-05 season, the most wins of any school in the Mountain West Conference. They are 62-36 since 2003-04.
McKay is 62-14 in Albuquerque, 45-23 in all non-conference games, 40-7 in non-league games at The Pit and 5-16 in road/neutral games. He is 27-31 in the MWC, 22-7 at home, 5-24 on the road.
The 26-7 record in 2004-05 is the best season of McKay’s career, 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, while posting the second-highest win total in school history. 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).
BIG-TIME TURNAROUND UNDER McKAY
Head coach Ritchie McKay’s first two Lobo teams went 24-32, but UNM had just eight scholarship players available in his first season of 2002-03 and only 10 in his second year. Since the 5/8 rule was repealed after the 2003-04 season, the Lobos have posted a 46-20 record since 2004-05.
McKay, Norm Ellenberger and Dave Bliss are the only head coaches to take the Lobos to the NCAA Tournament within their first three years at the post
The Lobos have produced a first team all-MWC performer all four years that McKay has been at UNM
Picked to finish 4th in the MWC in 2004-05, the Lobos finished 26-7 overall, 2nd in the conference at 10-4, won the MWC Tournament for the first time in nine years and only the third time in school history, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years
The 26 wins in 2004-05 is the second-best total in school history and were a 12-win improvement from 2003-04…that tied for the 2nd-largest jump in program history and tied for the 3rd-highest in NCAA Div. I men’s basketball
New Mexico won five straight games away from The Pit in 2004-05, a feat last accomplished in 1977-78
Seven Lobo seniors who completed their eligibility at UNM between 2003-06 are – or have – playing professionally: Javin Tindall, Ruben Douglas, Alfred Neale, Troy DeVries, Danny Granger, David Chiotti and Mark Walters
The team combined for a 2.97 grade-point-average during the 2006 spring semester. That’s the highest semester GPA by the program since UNM began charting grades in the fall of 1988. In fact, two of the team’s top-three GPAs have been registered under McKay’s guidance.
NEW MEXICO STATE REVIEW
David Fisher scored 24 points and had 9 rebounds and New Mexico went nearly 10 minutes in the first half without a rebound in New Mexico State’s 103-72 win on Dec. 5. It was the most lopsided win by the Aggies over the Lobos since a 96-59 win in Albuquerque on Jan. 3, 1959.
The 198th meeting of the state’s only two Division I-AA schools was over early as the Aggies raced off to a 19-8 lead with an assortment of 3-pointers, lay-ups and high-percentage jump shots against New Mexico’s defense. Fisher led the way, hitting 10 of 11 shots in the game. Justin Hawkins added 20 points in an NMSU offense that hit 17 of 23 shots in the second half and 67 percent for the game.
J.R. Giddens scored a season low 15 points and Tony Danridge 14 for New Mexico. Giddens hit just 3 of 13 shots and was 0-for-6 on 3-pointers.
While the Aggies were hitting 10 of their first 14 shots, New Mexico was simply trying to grab a rebound. They finally got one – a team rebound – with 9:35 left in the first half. NMSU won the rebounding by a 41-26 margin, including 15 offensive boards.
Defensively, New Mexico gave up numerous lay-ups and open looks as the Aggies hit 21 of 34 shots in the first 20 minutes. Fisher hit his first six shots and the Aggies’ inside trio of Hawkins, Hatila Passos and Trei Steward hit 7 of 11 shots in the first half.
New Mexico’s only serious threat consisted of back-to-back 3-pointers by Chad Toppert and Jamaal Smith that cut the NMSU lead to 32-25 with just under 8 minutes left in the first half. The Aggies’ offense took off again when 7-footer Martin Iti took a pass as the trailer on a fastbreak and slammed it home.
The Lobos, who hit 9 of their first 14 shots, hit just 2 of 14 over the final 7:08 of the opening period. The Aggies built a 54-33 halftime lead while in the midst of a 21-3 run that eventually pushed the lead to 66-35 with 17:10 left in the game.
The 31-point loss is New Mexico’s worst since a 96-62 defeat at Minnesota on March 13, 2002…it’s the most points allowed since a 103-91 loss at Wyoming on Feb. 15, 2003
It’s UNM’s largest setback against New Mexico State since a 96-59 loss in Albuquerque on Jan. 3, 1959…it’s the biggest loss by UNM in Las Cruces since a 77-44 decision on Feb. 11, 1939
New Mexico has lost eight straight non-conference games away from Albuquerque…the last win came against Utah in the championship game of the 2005 MWC Tournament
New Mexico State shot 66.7% (38-57), the best against the Lobos since Wyoming made 67.3% (35-52) on Feb. 26, 1987
After employing the same starting lineup the first six games, Lobo head coach Ritchie McKay made two changes…sophomore Ryan Kersten made his 16th career start, replacing junior Jamaal Smith at the point, while sophomore Daniel Faris got his first career nod in the post in place of senior Aaron Johnson
UNM was out-rebounded 41-25, including 25-11 in the first half…NMSU had 11 offensive boards in the 1st half…UNM was out-rebounded 85-53 on the two-game trip to UTEP and New Mexico State
Points in the Paint was 44-10 in New Mexico State’s favor, 26-4 in teh 1st half
After giving up 50 points in the first half at UTEP on Sunday, the Lobos yielded 54 in the first period to New Mexico State…NMSU led 54-33 at the break…it’s the most points UNM has allowed in a first half since Texas Tech had a 56-32 lead in Lubbock on Dec. 18, 2002
After shooting 52.8% overall and 41% from 3-point at home in the first five games of the season, the Lobos shot 41% from the field (44-108) and 26% from 3-point (13-50) on the two-game trip to UTEP and New Mexico State
Daniel Faris scored 9 points in the first start of his career…he was 4-4 from the floor, including his first 3-pointer as a Lobo…Faris became the 11th Lobo to make a 3-pointer this season…the only two Lobos who have not are Aaron Johnson and Sean Imadiyi
Tony Danridge scored in double figures for the third straight game with 14 points…Danridge has averaged 14.3 ppg over the past 3 games, making 18 fo 27 FGs (67%)