The Lobos took an emotional 91-81 loss to Brigham Young University last night at The Pit.
Playing in his last home game of his career, Ruben Douglas was hounded relentlessly all night by the Cougar defense. Douglas still finished with 27 points but could not get any open looks at the basket as he shot seven-for-22 from the field.
“They play great defense,” Douglas said. “They limited my touches and didn’t let me get into a rhythm.”
Douglas and the other Lobo senior, Senque Carey, were honored before and after the game for their careers at UNM.
In the first half, the Lobos shot out to an early lead. Freshman guard Mark Walters scored the first two points of the game on a short baseline jumper for a 2-0 lead. Walters then went on a 4-0 run a few minutes later to put UNM up 15-8.
“I always try to score points and take advantage of what the defense gives me,” Walters said.
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Douglas got the ball in full stride on the Lobos’ next possession and took two steps before he skied over BYU center Rafael Araujo for a one handed jam. The crowd exploded and UNM seemed to have control of the game. However, the Cougars stayed composed and slowly clawed their way back into contention.
Araujo powered his way to eight points and eight rebounds in the first half, but it was a team effort that led the Cougars. BYU had eight different players score in the opening period. By the end of the first half, the Cougars had built a three-point lead 38-35.
The beginning of the second half belonged to BYU as it came out with a renewed intensity. The Lobos on the other hand, came out cold and had difficulty scoring as the Cougars went on a 14-4 run to open the half, building a commanding 52-39 lead.
Willed on by the raucous Pit crowd, UNM tried desperately to come back but could not penetrate the lead.
“That’s as loud as this arena has been since I’ve been here,” BYU head coach Steve Cleveland said. “There was a period of time that I can’t remember an arena being that loud.”
Senior Cougar guard Travis Hansen led BYU offensively and defensively. Hansen finished with a team-high 26 points including several long shots with the shot-clock running down. He also played suffocating defense on Douglas.
“I’ve been in enough road games where the team looks to me to make a big shot,” Hansen said. “Also, defensively we have to get stops and I usually have to guard the toughest guy.”
The Lobos fell to 10-16 and 4-9 in the MWC with the loss. With just one game remaining in the regular season, UNM has a shot of moving up to sixth in the league with a victory over Air Force on Saturday.
