March 11, 2010
Recap |
Box Score |
Quotes |
Photo Gallery 1 
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Photo Gallery 2
New Mexico is now 2-0 against Air Force in tournament play, including a 1-0 mark
in the MWC Tournament.
Since the MWC Tournament changed its format in 2006, the No. 9 seed has never
beaten the No. 1 seed. The only time a No. 1 seed lost its first-round game was in
2004 when No. 8 Colorado State beat No. 1 Air Force. Wednesday was the third time
in MWC Tournament history that a No. 8 or No. 9 seed has lost to the No. 1 seed by
single digits.
New Mexico has set a school record with 29 wins this season. The previous record of
28 wins was established during the 1995-96 season when the Lobos posted a 28-5
mark.
New Mexico, currently ranked No. 8 in the nation, is the highest-ranked team Air
Force has faced since Dec. 11, 2004, when they fell to No. 3 Georgia Tech, 64-42.
New Mexico has now beaten Air Force on seven consecutive tries. Overall, the Lobos
lead the series 48-18.
New Mexico is a No. 1 seed for only the second time in 27 years of conference
tournament play (1994).
New Mexico has won 33 consecutive games when scoring 70 or more points.
Trailing by eight (12-4) early, Air Force used a 9-0 run to take a 13-12 lead. During that stretch, New Mexico missed five consecutive shots, four from three-point range, and turned the ball over twice. New Mexico responded with an 8-0 run to take a 20-13 lead.
Down nine, 48-39, with 14:04 left in regulation, Air Force used an 8-0 run, capped by a three-point play by Evan Washington, to cut the deficit to one, 48-47, with under 13 minutes to play.
Air Force trailed by just three with under 5 minutes remaining, but the Lobos used a 9-0 run to push their lead to 12, the largest of the game, with just over a minute
remaining.
New Mexico’s Darington Hobson’s 28 points and 15 rebounds marked his 13th
double-double of the season, and eighth in the past nine games. He reached double
digits in points for the 27th time this season and 20-plus points for the third
consecutive game. He finished two points shy of his career high.
The Air Force bench outscored New Mexico’s bench, 23-4.
Air Force’s Tom Fow led four Falcons in double-figure scoring, while leading scorer
Grant Parker was limited to four points.