University of Wyoming senior guard Donta Richardson’s career-high 39 points propelled the Cowboy’s to a 103-91 victory over the Lobos at The Pit, Saturday night.
Richardson buried UNM, hitting seven-of-10 3-pointers and making key shots when UW needed them while going toe-to-toe with Ruben Douglas, who poured on a career-high 43 points.
“That’s the highest I’ve ever scored in a Wyoming uniform,” Richardson said. “To come out and do this against New Mexico means a lot to me.”
Douglas got off to a slow start, scoring only 10 points in the first half while battling foul trouble. He was called for a charge early in the game that seemed to take him out of his rhythm.
“You’re kind of hesitant to go to the hole in the first half because you can pick up fouls,” Douglas said. “I was just waiting for the first half to end so I could attack the rim in the second half.”
Douglas came back with a vengeance in the second frame, scoring 33 points as he attempted to carry the Lobos to victory. Douglas finished 11-24 from the field including 15-18 from the charity stripe and six for 10 from beyond the arc. He also became the nation’s leading scorer with 28.19 PPG, moving ahead of Oakland University’s Mike Helms at 28.08 PPG.
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Douglas said that moving into the national scoring lead was bittersweet after the tough home loss.
Overall, Douglas’ play was overshadowed by the Cowboy’s powerful inside presence. UW out-rebounded UNM by a total of 36-24 while pulling down crucial offensive boards and converting easy put-backs.
Senior center Uche Nsonwu-Amadi led the way for the Cowboy’s ripping down nine rebounds and adding 14 points. He also recorded two blocks while dominating his smaller opponents.
“Defensive plays, rebounds, blocked shots, anything we could feed off, we were feeding off that,” Amadi said.
Lobo head coach Ritchie McKay was disappointed with his team’s performance, saying that he thought UNM “stunk.” McKay stressed that the Lobos were outplayed defensively.
“I’m embarrassed by our performance, especially on the defensive end and I can assure you, we will address it,” McKay said.
The key to the game was in the first half when Wyoming pulled ahead. UNM had taken a 17-11 advantage early on after junior guard Ryan Ashcraft nailed a three to give the Lobos their biggest lead of the game. After that UNM went cold and the Cowboy’s heated up going on a 29-6 run to build a 40-23 lead late in the first half.
During the run, Richardson made four 3-pointers on mostly wide open looks. From then on, UNM was forced to play catch up — something that it could not overcome.
Wyoming head coach Steve McClain was happy with his team’s performance following the game.
“I think we were refocused,” McClain said. “The Pit has been a good place for us.”
The Cowboys (17-6, 5-3 MWC) came into Albuquerque riding a three-game losing streak. With the victory, they solidified their position as Mountain West contenders.
The Lobos (8-13, 2-6 MWC) will be forced to lick their wounds in a hurry with Colorado State University coming to The Pit, tonight. CSU (14-9, 3-5 MWC) embarrassed UNM 74-58 in their earlier match-up in Fort Collins, Colo. That game was featured on ESPN’s Big Monday. McKay has added incentive to beat the Rams. He coached CSU from 1998-2000.
Game time is set for 7 p.m., at the University Arena, and can be seen delayed at 10:35 p.m., on KRQE 13 or heard live on 770 AM.
Note:
UNM guard Javin Tindall scored a season-high 18 points while converting on six of eight 3-point attempts. Sophomore forward Jamaal Williams added 11 points for the Lobos.
