Nov. 18, 2012
New Mexico Basketball Postgame Notes
Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012
UNM vs. George Mason *** Paradise Jam Semifinals *** St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
In dramatic fashion, New Mexico (3-0) defeats George Mason (2-2) 70-69 in the semifinals of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands…the Lobos will play the UConn/Quinnipiac winner in the championship game Monday at 8 p.m. MT
The Lobos, who trailed 50-42 with 11:06 left, won it when Tony Snell nailed a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1.8 seconds remaining…it was UNM’s first lead since 28-26 in the 1st half…Snell’s game winner was set up when Kendall Williams stole the Patriots’ in-bounds pass with 11.9 seconds remaining…Williams eventually fed freshman Cleveland Thomas who passed to Snell for the game-winner
UNM trailed 69-64 after 2 George Mason FTs with 17.4 seconds to go…Williams nailed a 33-footer to cut the deficit to 69-67 with 11.9 ticks left before his ensuing steal and Snell’s heroics
Snell’s final 3 gave him a career-high 27 points on 8-12 FGs, 4-6 from 3 and 7-7 FTs…in the 2nd half, Snell scored 18 points on 5-8 FGs, 3-4 from 3 and 5-5 FTs…it’s his second career high in three games this season…he had 25 against Davidson
The Lobos made 8 of their last 9 FGs, including their last 5 3-point attempts: 2 by Snell and 1 apiece from Williams, Alex Kirk and Hugh Greenwood
UNM has made a 3-point FG in 696 consecutive games…the last game without a 3 was Jan. 3, 1991 at Colorado State (0-for-8)
Head coach Steve Alford
437-229 in his 22nd season as a head coach
129-46 in his 6th year at New Mexico
58-1 when UNM allows less than 60 points
69-23 in non-conference games at UNM, 10-10 at neutral sites
40 straight wins and 52-1 overall when UNM scores 80 points or more
78-10 in The Pit, 46-3 in The Pit against non-conference opponents