Dec. 18, 2008
Lobo Basketball at Texas Tech Game Notes
New Mexico (7-4) tries to continue its pre-Christmas victory run when it travels to Texas Tech Saturday. Tip-off is 11:05 a.m. Mountain Time from United Spirit Arena in Lubbock. The Lobos have won a season-high four straight games after a 3-4 start.
Saturday’s game will be televised by the Texas Tech Network and picked up locally by KASY My50-TV. It will also be available on ESPN’s Full Court package and online at ESPN360.com.
On Wednesday, New Mexico matched the second-largest comeback in the 43-year history of the Pit with a 66-63 survival against Oral Roberts.
UNM trailed 34-19 with 2:30 left in the first half and 37-25 at halftime. The Lobos opened the second period with a 16-2 run to take its first lead at 41-39. The lead changed hands seven times and there were two ties over the final 15 minutes. UNM closed the game with a 6-2 run over the final 1:45.
Seniors Tony Danridge (20 points) and Daniel Faris (16 points) came up big in the second half, scoring 27 of the Lobos’ 41 points. Faris had just 1 point at the break. After being out-rebounded 22-13 in the first half, UNM had a 25-10 edge in the second, including 10-3 on the offensive end.
Texas Tech is 7-3 after a 96-78 loss at UTEP on Wednesday. Miner guards Stefon Jackson and Randy Culpepper combined for 55 points. Jackson scored 28 points on 8-of-16 shooting and Culpepper added 27 on an 8-of-18 night.
John Roberson led Texas Tech with 33 points and nine assists. Damir Suljagic scored 10 points and had eight rebounds.
Texas Tech is 6-0 at home this year, including a 167-115 win over East Central (Okla.) University on Nov. 20. The Red Raiders are averaging 88 points a game, but allowing 78.8.
Guards John Roberson (17.1 ppg) and Alan Voskuil (14.1) lead the team in scoring. Texas Tech is averaging 8.8 3-pointers a game, and shooting 40% from beyond the arc.
NOTES TO KNOW BEFORE THE GAME
The Lobos are 1-1 in true road games this year, and 9-7 in head coach Steve Alford’s tenure at New Mexico…in the 5 seasons before Alford, UNM had an 8-43 record in road games…UNM went 8-6 in 2007-08, tying a school record.
New Mexico has had to rally from 12 or more points twice during the current 4-game winning streak…UNM trailed Southern Miss 30-18, before prevailing 60-58…it was a 34-19 hole against Oral Roberts, but the Lobos rallied for a 66-63 victory.
The Lobos have won 25 straight games when allowing less than 60 points, and they are 46-2 in such games since 2004-05.
New Mexico has grabbed 31 offensive rebounds in its past 2 games, 16 against Ole Miss and 15 versus Oral Roberts.
The Lobos are 37-1 in their last 38 non-conference home games and are 6-1 in The Pit this season, the only loss to Central Florida on Nov. 22.
New Mexico is 2nd in the MWC in FG pct. defense (38.2%)…opponents have shot just 40.2% (911-2,263) in 44 games against Steve Alford Lobo teams.
Although he was 0-for-6 against Oral Roberts, senior Chad Toppert continues to rank No. 1 all-time at UNM by making 45% of his career 3-point attempts…with 213 career 3s, Toppert needs 6 more to pass Ruben Douglas (2001-03) for 3rd place all-time at New Mexico.
Last year, UNM’s 4th loss did not come until the 18th game of the season – a 14-4 start – on Jan. 15 at TCU.
It certainly looks like four true scholarship freshmen will letter for UNM in 2008-09: Will Brown, Nate Garth, A.J. Hardeman and Phillip McDonald…that has happened only one other time in the history of Lobo basketball: 1983-84 when five Lobos – Paul Connery, Hunter Greene, Larry Markland, Kelvin Scarborough and Mike Winters – all saw time…freshmen became eligible to play with the varsity in 1973-74.
Three Lobos did not play basketball last season: senior Tony Danridge was out with a broken leg while freshmen Will Brown and A.J. Hardeman were tending to academics.
NEW MEXICO-TEXAS TECH SERIES
Saturday’s game will be the 83rd in a series that started Feb. 24, 1931. It’s close with Tech leading 42-40. UNM has a 26-18 lead in games in Albuquerque, 7-2 in The Pit.
The Red Raiders have three of the last four meetings, including a 70-68 victory in Lubbock on Jan. 1, 2007, when Bob Knight won his 880th career game to pass former North Carolina head coach Dean Smith as the winningest coach in the history of NCAA Div. I men’s basketball.
Texas Tech has a 22-14 lead in games played in Lubbock where the Lobos have dropped 3 straight since 1996. UNM’s last win on the Tech campus was 82-76 on Dec. 8, 1993.
Steve Alford VS. TEXAS TECH
New Mexico’s head coach brings a 2-3 career record against Texas Tech into Saturday’s game. He is 1-0 while at UNM, 1-1 when he was at Iowa and 0-2 while at Missouri State.
LOBOS VS. THE BIG 12
New Mexico is 63-59 against current members of the Big 12 with 82 of those games coming against Texas Tech. UNM has won four of its past six contests against Big 12 competition: 2-0 vs. Colorado, 1-1 vs. Texas Tech and 1-1 vs. Kansas State.
UNM-TEXAS TECH LAST YEAR IN ALBUQUERQUE
Freshman Dairese Gary scored a career-high 18 points, shooting 7-of-11 from the floor and hitting all four of his 3-point tries in New Mexico’s 80-63 victory over Texas Tech.
It gave Steve Alford, New Mexico’s first-year coach, his second win in five tries against Bob Knight, his coach at Indiana.
J.R. Giddens and Chad Toppert each scored 13 points and the Lobos hit 9-of-11 on 3-pointers, setting a school record with their 81.8 percentage.
New Mexico enjoyed a 30-23 rebounding advantage and had 13 offensive boards. Alford even threw in a little zone defense on inbounds plays to go with the man-to-man he learned under Knight.
Mike Singletary came off the bench to score 25 points for Texas Tech while Trevor Cook and John Roberson each had 12.
The Lobos quickly jumped to a 14-2 lead through the first 6 1/2 minutes. Everything went right for New Mexico, even Gary’s one-handed 47-footer at the halftime buzzer for a 44-26 lead.
New Mexico made all six of its 3-point tries in the first 20 minutes, and every Lobo who suited up had scored by halftime.
The Red Raiders just couldn’t anything get going. Martin Zeno, the team’s leading scorer a 16.7 average, came out early in the first half . Knight shouted at him after a turnover and Zeno, who went scoreless, didn’t return.
Alan Voskuil, Texas Tech’s No. 2 scorer with a 13.6 average, didn’t log any points until hitting two free throws 3 1/2 minutes into the second half. He finished with five points.
“Taking Zeno and Voskuil out of the game were huge keys for us,” Alford said.
UNM-TEXAS TECH TWO YEARS AGO IN LUBBOCK
The New Mexico Lobos were part of history, but it was not the part they wanted. Trailing by 20 points in the first half, UNM rallied to take the lead after halftime, but it could not make a big play down the stretch as the Red Raiders nipped New Mexico 70-68. In the process, Bob Knight won his 880th career game to pass former North Carolina head coach Dean Smith as the winningest coach in the history of NCAA Div. I men’s basketball.
Trailing 33-13 in the first period at United Spirit Arena, New Mexico was tantalizingly close to equaling the greatest comeback in school history.
New Mexico trailed Texas Tech 48-35 early in the second half before the long-range guns found their targets. Chad Toppert nailed three straight 3-pointers and junior Jeffrey Henfield completed a 12-2 burst to hand the Lobos their first lead of the day at 56-55. Henfield finished with a season-high 12 points.
The Lobos’ lead grew to four points on three occasions, the last time 64-60 following a nice baseline move by J.R. Giddens with 6:25 remaining. UNM, however, would score only four points the rest of the game.
Texas Tech countered with a 3, but Tony Danridge slammed home a dunk on a nice feed from Jamaal Smith and it was 66-63 UNM with 5:51 to go.
The Red Raiders scored the next two baskets for a 67-66 advantage and their first lead since it was 55-53. Meanwhile, the Lobos had four consecutive trips that resulted in two turnovers and four missed shots.
An off-balance lay-in by Danridge put UNM back on top at 68-67, but Texas Tech went back ahead 70-68 on a 3-pointer by Jay Jackson with 2:04 left. That was all the scoring, but the drama was far from over.
Giddens missed a 3-point attempt on a set play out of a timeout with 43 seconds remaining. Texas Tech then worked down the shot clock and missed a shot with five ticks to go. Giddens got the rebound, dribbled up the court and launched a 35-footer that would have won it for the Lobos, but it hit the back of the rim.
New Mexico got just two points on its last eight possessions, missing seven of eight shots in the final five minutes. Danridge led UNM with 17 points. Giddens added 14, but was 2 of 10 from 3-point and committed four turnovers.
Miraculously, the Lobos stayed in the game despite going 0 of 5 from the free-throw line while Texas Tech was 18 of 24. UNM was 10 of 29 from 3-point.
BOB KNIGHT AND Steve Alford
Steve Alford, in his second season as UNM’s head coach, was a senior at Newcastle (Ind.) Chrysler High School in 1983 when he accepted a scholarship offer to attend Indiana University and play for Bob Knight. The rest of the story is well known throughout college basketball lore. Alford became a two-time All-America for the Hoosiers, leading IU to the 1987 national championship.
Knight is a Hall of Fame coach and the winningest mentor in Div. I men’s basketball. As head coaches, Knight held a 3-2 advantage over Alford.
MORE ON TEXAS TECH
The Red Raiders were 16-15 a year ago, 7-9 in the Big 12. Three starters and nine lettermen return in 2008-09. Head coach Pat Knight took over for his father after Texas Tech’s 20th game of the season, a 67-60 victory over Oklahoma State in Lubbock. Pat went 4-7 as the head coach.
ORAL ROBERTS RECAP
When New Mexico needed an inside presence, Daniel Faris handily stepped into the role to help the Lobos to a come-from-behind, 66-63 victory over Oral Roberts on Wednesday. The win was New Mexico’s fourth straight.
The Lobos’ Tony Danridge finished with 20 points to lead New Mexico, but Faris had the big points in finishing with 16, including 15 in the second half. The Golden Eagles’ Robert Jarvis had 22 to lead all scorers.
Oral Roberts led throughout the first half, taking a 37-25 lead into the break. The Lobos faced a 34-19 deficit late in the first half when nothing seemed to be going right for them. But they came out for the second half shooting much better, using a 16-2 run to take their first lead at 41-39.
Faris had six in the run, including one coming on a turnaround and the other on a put back of a Danridge miss. Faris also put New Mexico ahead for good with 2:12 remaining, tapping in a wayward Roman Martinez over-the-back shot.
And, with the Lobos leading by 64-63 with 30 seconds left, Faris blocked a shot, then grabbed a loose ball in the closing seconds to secure the win.
New Mexico also overcame an uncharacteristically poor night from long-distance sharpshooter Chad Toppert, who missed all seven shots.
POSTGAME NOTES FROM ORAL ROBERTS
UNM trailed by 15 points (34-19) with 3 minutes remaining in the first half, but opened the second half with a 16-2 run to take its first lead (41-39)…the lead changed hands 7 times and there were 2 ties – all in the final 15 minutes…the Lobos closed the game with a 6-2 run over the final 1:45.
New Mexico matched the 2nd-largest comeback for a victory in The Pit.
The Lobos trailed at the break (37-25) for just the second time all season…UNM trailed Southern Miss 34-25 at halftime before going on to a 60-58 victory on Dec. 6 at The Pit…the 25 first half points tied a season low, while the 37 allowed was a season-high.
New Mexico held a 25-10 rebounding advantage (10-3 on offensive rebounds) in the second half after getting outrebounded 22-13 in the first 20 minutes.
UNM had a season-high 8 blocks by 6 different players…senior Daniel Faris and freshman Phillip McDonald led the way with 2 each…McDonald’s blocks matched a season-high, while Faris’ final block came with 11 seconds left to play of a one-possession game.
New Mexico’s 11 steals were a season-high.
The Lobos hit a season-low 2 3-pointers (both by Roman Martinez) on 15 attempts (missing its final 8)…it’s the fewest from beyond the arc since a 2-8 performance at Hawai’i on Dec. 27, 2007.
New Mexico has made a 3-pointer in 592 consecutive games; the last time it didn’t connect was Jan. 3, 1991, going 0-8 against Colorado State.
Senior Tony Danridge
team-high 20 points – his 2nd 20-point game of the year and 6th of his career…scored in double digits for the fourth straight game…averaging 16.5 points/game in his last 4 outings.
tied a career-high with 6 rebounds (3 offensive)
Senior Daniel Faris
16 points, including 15 in the 2nd half and 4 of the Lobos’ final 6…has scored 34 points in his past 2 games (tied a season-high with 18 points vs. Ole Miss).
7th game with 2 or more blocks this season…averaging a career-high 2.4 blocks/game this year…averaged 0.5 blocks/game his first 3 seasons.
Sophomore Dairese Gary
9 assists, giving him 20 in his last two games against just 5 turnovers.
career-high 5 steals, notching his final pick on the last play of the game to preserve the victory.
Junior Roman Martinez
game-high 9 rebounds, giving him 21 in his last 2 games (career-high 12 vs. Ole Miss).
12 offensive rebounds in his last 2 games after a career-high 8 against the Rebels.
Senior Chad Toppert
0-6 from 3-point range, snapping a streak of 14 straight games with a three-pointer.
UNM HEAD COACH Steve Alford
Steve Alford, 44, is in his second season in charge of Lobo hoops and his 18th year as a collegiate head coach. He was named UNM’s 19th head coach on March 23, 2007.
Alford, who has never been an assistant coach is his career, has a 339-196 (63%) career record in his 18th season as a head coach, 31-13 at New Mexico. His teams have qualified for postseason play 12 times, produced 14 winning seasons and reached 21 wins on nine occasions.
GARY, GARTH REACH 10 ASSISTS IN SAME GAME
Sophomore Dairese Gary (11) and freshman Nate Garth (10) each reached double-digits in assists in the 103-70 victory over Ole Miss on Dec. 13. The last time that happened was Nov. 23, 1990, when Jimmy Taylor and Ike Williams each had 10 in the Lobos’ 136-99 victory over Texas-Arlington. That’s the most points UNM has scored in a game.
Garth became just the fifth Lobo freshman to reach 10 assists in a game, joining Phil Smith, David Gibson, John Robinson II and Marlon Parmer.
MORE ON ASSISTS
Thanks to Gary and Garth, the Lobos recorded a season-high 29 assists in the win against Ole Miss. That’s the most assists since Dec. 29, 1997, when UNM dished 32 in a 112-61 victory over Holy Cross.
GOTTA FINISH
The Lobos’ four losses this season have been a bit tough to stomach. On Nov. 16 in Omaha, New Mexico held a 59-43 lead over Creighton with 10:17 remaining. The margin was still nine points in UNM’s favor at 72-63 with 3:39 left before the Bluejays went on an improbable 17-0 run that led them to an 82-75 victory.
The Lobos lost to Central Florida 72-71 on Nov. 22 when the Knights nailed a 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds to play. New Mexico had a 69-60 advantage after two made free throws with 2:07 to go. UCF outscored UNM 12-2 down the stretch to shock the home crowd.
Against VCU in Cancun, UNM overcame first-half deficits of 10-0 and 21-10 to lead 43-37 with 14:06 remaining. The Rams responded with a 13-0 run and eventually won 67-55.
The next night, the Lobos got off to a 15-7 lead over Drake. It was 36-33 in UNM’s favor early in the second half before the Bulldogs went on a big run and an eventual lead of 64-48. New Mexico stormed back to trim the margin to 64-59, but came up short in the 68-62 loss.