Saturday night, outside The Pit, a blistering snowstorm ripped through the Land of Enchantment. Inside, Ruben Douglas and the hot-shooting Lobos blistered through the Air Force Academy to a 73-59 victory.
In the battle to stay out of the Mountain West cellar, the Lobos (8-12, 2-5 MWC) jumped on Air Force early and often en route to a 17-point halftime lead. Douglas almost single handedly outscored the Falcons in the first half, dropping 19 points on only seven shots, while Air Force could only mustard 20 points on 21 shots.
"I'm just out there trying to play ball and they happen to go in," Douglas said. "My teammates are setting me up and the coaches, they've been working with me. It's just hard work paying off."
The Lobos' 37 first half points were the most against Air Force all season.
In lieu of UNM's stellar shooting, it was the Lobos' defense against the Princeton-style offense of the Falcons that was the key to victory.
"Tonight we set a defensive tone and it carried over to our offense," Douglas said. "That's how you win basketball games."
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The Lobos held the Falcons to just 38 percent shooting in the first half.
Douglas finished the game with 32 points, going 5-7 from the three-point line and 8-13 from the floor. He also made 11-11 from the free-throw line. It was his highest scoring output ever against Air Force, smashing his previous high of 13 points, last year, in Colorado Springs.
Despite the balanced team effort, the Lobos were without the services of UNM's second-leading scorer Jamaal Williams. He sat at the end of the bench the entire first half and did not enter the game until the 15:41 mark of the second half, to the chants from some of the 15,898 in the stands.
"The reason Jamaal Williams didn't play in the beginning is because in our program, you earn your minutes in practice with your consistency on a daily basis," head coach Ritchie McKay said. "There is nothing between Jamaal and I and he is a great kid. He's learning what our expectations are of the program."
Williams played 13 minutes in the second half, scoring eight quick points, including a ferocious two-handed jam.
For the first time in conference play, UNM was able to establish a fundamentally sound half-court offense. It created 17 assists to only six turnovers, led by junior Javin Tindall's seven assists, along with six from junior guard Ryan Ashcraft. McKay was also able to spread the minutes evenly, with eight players seeing double-digit minutes.
The change from the Lobos' run n' gun attack, to a half court game was a welcome one for the team, especially the big men.
"That was one of our focuses, to get it inside and get some post plays," Tindall said.
The offense looked in sync all night; largely in part to a break out performance from freshman post David Chiotti.
"Once you establish an inside game, they can't focus so much on the guards, they have to focus on the big men," Douglas said. "David, with him playing like the way he played tonight will help his confidence in the long run, especially going in the Mountain West tournament when we really need those guys."
Chiotti played 31 minutes, shooting 100 percent -- four-for-four from the floor and 2-2 from the free-throw line. Chiotti finished the game with 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. His confidence and his offensive touches seem to be drastically improving and he could be a go to man in the near future.
"Over time, practicing everyday and working extra hard, it's gotten me more confident," Chiotti said. "Playing with my teammates and getting used to everybody, it's just starting to come together."
At the midpoint of the conference schedule, the Lobos sit alone in seventh place in the MWC. If the Lobos are coming together, this is the time to prove it. They play host to Wyoming on Saturday.
