After a sluggish start, the UNM men's basketball team rebounded by using stymieing defense to shut down the University of Nevada at Las Vegas for a 75-56 win Monday night in The Pit.
The Lobos, who lost 80-72 earlier this season to UNLV in Las Vegas, rallied from a 40-32 first-half deficit with a balanced, second-half scoring effort and a sagging, man-to-man defense. UNM shut down the Rebels late in the second half by forcing turnovers and converting seemingly endless fast-break opportunities.
"It was a good win for us, it's a good gut-check," UNM head coach Fraschilla said. "First of all, we like these guys, we like Max and we like the team, because we know these guys, but it was kind of like they were kicking sand in our face the first few games. We hung tough at halftime and got the game going."
UNM point guard Marlon Parmer, who finished with 16 points and seven assists, spear-headed the Lobos' comeback, picking up either points or assists on nearly every possession to open the second half until the Lobos took a 49-48 lead with 13:02 left in the game.
While UNM's early second-half scoring was keyed by Parmer, it was evenly distributed among starters and reserves, which was dramatically different from UNLV's output, which comprised of one layup and a free throw by All-American candidate center Kaspars Kambala and a handful of perimeter shots by guard Delron Johnson.
Keying on UNLV's sputtering offense, the Lobos applied half-court pressure and played with renewed intensity to the delight of 17,184 roaring fans at The Pit. After a tough, leaning jump shot by Johnson in the paint with 8:54 remaining, the Lobos went on a 20-0 run. UNLV did not score again until guard Jermaine Lewis hit a layup with 54 seconds remaining and five UNM freshmen on the floor.
Kambala finished with 20 points and six rebounds but only scored five points and grabbed one rebound in the second half. Rebel guard Trevor Diggs finished with 13 points and Johnson ended the game with 11.
Guard Eric Chatfield finished with 15 points and guard Ruben Douglas scored 12 and grabbed nine rebounds. Big men Brian Smith and Wayland White both scored 10 points.
In addition to sharing balanced defensive and offensive efforts, UNM shut down UNLV by rotating nine players without a significant drop in production.
"I don't worry about the freshmen very much anymore, and, at a certain point, I had to get Zeke Johnson in the game even though the perimeter players were doing really well, so I put him and he responded," Fraschilla said.
Parmer said he felt comfortable with the younger players.
"I feel as though we can win every game in the conference if the younger guys bring their `A' game every game," he said.
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Parmer, who grew up in Los Angeles playing opposite Johnson, said it was great to win back hometown bragging rights.
"Last year they took it to us, and we didn't take it to them," Parmer said. " I feel as though, this year, we took it to them"
Fraschilla picked a technical in the first half that helped UNLV go on a quick 10-point run and gave the Rebels momentum in the first half, but he said he was pleased with how his team responded to playing from behind in the second half.
"The fun part was just watching the team grow up kind of before our eyes," Fraschilla said. "Teams that were picked ahead of us have a whole bunch of guys leaving the league and this was sort of what we were hoping to do. From that standpoint, this was a good feeling, but now we have four tough ones to finish out the season."
UNM's next game is against on the road Saturday against Colorado State University, who is in sixth place, a game behind the Lobos.
"We're going to take this win, run with it and try to convert its momentum into some road wins," Parmer said.
