Feb. 19, 2007
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The New Mexico Lobos play their penultimate home game of the 2006-07 season Tuesday when San Diego State comes to town. Game time is 7:05 p.m. from The Pit/Bob King Court. It will be televised over The mtn., Channel 276 on Comcast Cable in Albuquerque.
Tuesday’s game sponsor is Alltel. The first 10,000 fans will receive Alltel Scratchers. The “My Circle Mania $100,000 Shooting Contest” will take place at halftime.
A reminder that Lobo season ticketholders may redeem any unused tickets from the 2006-07 season for Tuesday’s game. This offer is valid only to season ticketholders. Tickets must be redeemed at the ticket office at The Pit during normal business hours.
UNM stopped a two-game slide Saturday with a 74-58 victory over TCU. The Lobos played without junior guard J.R. Giddens, who has been suspended indefinitely be head coach Ritchie McKay.
UNM is 15-12 overall and 4-8 in the Mountain West Conference. The Lobos begin the week tied with Utah for seventh place in the MWC. The Utes are at Wyoming Wednesday then host New Mexico Saturday afternoon in Salt Lake City.
New Mexico is 13-3 at home this season and 46-6 in The Pit since the start of the 2004-05 campaign. All three home losses this season have come in league play. The Lobos have not lost four conference games in The Pit since 1981 when they finished 4-4. UNM is 3-3 in MWC home contests with two games remaining.
At 4-8 in the MWC, New Mexico is trying to avoid its’s fifth losing season in conference play in the past seven years. The Lobos’ only winning record in league play since 2000 was 10-4 in 2005. UNM was 8-8 last year. New Mexico never had a losing conference record from 1984-2000, a span of 17 seasons.
San Diego State (18-8, 7-5 MWC) had a five-game winning streak snapped Saturday at Wyoming, falling 80-71. Brad Jones scored 32 points, making 17-of-18 free throws, as the Cowboys ended a four-game losing streak. SDSU was outrebounded 42-30. Brandon Heath led the Aztecs with 22 points on 7-of-22 shooting from the field. Jerome Habel added 18 and Mohamed Abukar 16.
GIDDENS SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY
New Mexico head coach Ritchie McKay announced before Saturday’s game that junior guard J.R. Giddens has been suspended indefinitely. Giddens leads the Lobos in scoring at 16 points a game and is second in rebounding at 6.1 a game.
“I made the decision to suspend J.R. indefinitely,” said head coach Ritchie McKay following Saturday’s game against TCU. “He did nothing illegal, nothing unethical. This program tries to promote being a good teammate and I want to emphasize that. It just came to a point where I felt like it was important not only to our team, but to J.R. and the rest of our basketball family that I make the decision. He is not going to practice or travel with us until he’s off suspension.”
“I respect coach’s decision,” said Giddens on Sunday. “He’s the leader of our team. He’s the person of authority and if he feels like this is what’s best for me and the team, right now then I accept his decision.”
NEW MEXICO-SAN DIEGO STATE SERIES
UNM has a 35-24 lead in a series that started Jan. 2, 1976. SDSU has won three straight and seeks its first four-game winning streak over the Lobos in 23 years, since taking seven in a row between 1981-84. The winning team has scored at least 70 points in each of the past five games.
Last month, San Diego State won 73-68 at Cox Pavilion. The Aztecs swept the season series last year for the first time since 2002. They won 75-69 at Cox Arena and 73-66 in The Pit, which clinched the MWC regular-season title.
Brandon Heath hit a career-high eight 3-pointers and scored a season-high 32 points in last year’s win in Albuquerque.
The Lobos have a 23-5 advantage in The Pit and a slim 8-7 margin in MWC contests.
TCU REVIEW AND NOTES
Chad Toppert tied his career-highs with 20 points and six 3-pointers Saturday night in New Mexico’s 74-58 win over TCU. New Mexico used a 14-2 run late in the second half to hand TCU its 11th straight loss.
Toppert hit 6 of 9 3-point shots, several of them of coming off passes from point guard Darren Prentice, who had a career-high 8 assists and scored 16 points.
Kevin Langford, who gave the Frogs their only lead with a basket in the opening minute, led TCU with 23 points.
J.R. Giddens, the Lobos’ leading scorer, did not play after being suspended indefinitely by coach Ritchie McKay. His absence didn’t matter against a TCU team that had 20 turnovers and struggled to find a rhythm offensively.
The Horned Frogs’ troubles included a pair of airballed free throws by center Alvardo Parker in the first half. Still, TCU was within 45-41 with 13:33 left after a layup by Femi Ibikunle. It was mostly New Mexico after that.
New Mexico reserve Roman Martinez went to the floor while battling a TCU player for the ball and flipped it to Prentice for a layup. Jeffrey Henfield scored on an offensive rebound and Prentice hit a 15-footer. Ryan Kersten hit a 3-pointer and Prentice a pair of free throws.
Parker halted the Lobos’ run with a layup, but Lobo guard Jamaal Smith hit a 3-pointer to push the lead to 59-43 with 7:16 left.
UNM had a 45-41 lead with 13:32 left in the game before going on an 11-0 run
The Lobos used their 15th different starting lineup of the season, however, it’s just the second time that Aaron Johnson and Daniel Faris started together
TCU committed 20 turnovers, tying for the most by a Lobo opponent this season…North Carolina A&T also had 20
Chad Toppert tied a career-high with 20 points…he also scored 20 against North Carolina A&T and Pepperdine…he also tied a career-high with 6 3s…he had 6 treys against North Carolina A&T…Toppert also tied a career-high with 5 rebounds
Darren Prentice had a career-high 8 assists and has 26 the past 4 games, or 6.5 a game…Prentice needs 11 assists to become the first Lobo in six years to reach 100 assists, since Marlon Parmer had 182 in 2000-01…Prentice has scored in double figures three times in the past six games, averaging 10.7 points over that span
Jamaal Smith scored 13 points off the bench, his 2nd-best effort in an MWC game this season…he also tied a career-high with 4 rebounds
Jeffrey Henfield had 5 rebounds, his best total in an MWC game