It was a vintage home victory made of staunch defense, timely shooting and tons of hustle.
The UNM men's basketball team made a stellar second-half run Saturday night in The Pit, cruising to a 63-51 victory over the Colorado State Rams.
The victory catapults the Lobos (12-8, 3-4) from the conference cellar into a five-way tie for third place in the Mountain West Conference standings. CSU (11-9, 3-4) is also among the dead heat for third.
The first half was like a sloppy, boring chess match. While both teams came out sluggish, neither could find the switch to spark momentum.
After back-to-back, two-handed jams by forwards David Chiotti and Alfred Neale, the game seemed poised to explode. But it did just the opposite.
The half slowed to a tortoise-like pace. The cause? Defense.
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"The difference in the game was our ability to defend," head coach Ritchie McKay said. "Needless to say, CSU isn't as potent an offense without Matt Nelson."
The Rams, playing without 7-foot-1 center Nelson, who was sidelined with a sprained knee, seemed to have no inside offense. In contrast, UNM was able to score almost at will inside the paint.
The Lobos went into the locker room with a 28-20 advantage at the half.
In the second, UNM showed it could win without its star Danny Granger. Granger went to the bench early in the second half after picking up his third foul. Then, a well-balanced attack led by the trio of Chiotti, Neale and Troy DeVries scorched the nets, sending the Lobos on an 18-7 run that ultimately decided the outcome of the game.
Chiotti, playing on a severely sprained ankle, proved to be a warrior and was too much to handle for the under-sized Rams.
"David told me before the game, 'Coach I can't play,' and he was serious," McKay said. "He went to the training room and worked it out. Thank goodness he could play because I don't know if we would have been on the victorious side of the scoreboard without him."
Chiotti owned the paint en route to 13 points and seven rebounds, going 6-8 from the field.
DeVries came out of the locker room with aggressive tenacity. Time and time again, DeVries drove to the hole, breaking down the Rams' defense, scoring on easy layups.
"Troy did a great job of driving, and that keyed our run in the second half," McKay said.
DeVries finished with a game high 15 points on 4-6 shooting.
Neale was just as dominating, attacking the goal from all sides of the court. After starting the game with a vicious dunk, Neale ignited the team and the crowd with his explosive jumping ability. He finished with nine points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 37 minutes of action.
The surprise of the game belonged to freshman Lenny Miles. Miles contributed with his ability to defend and his relentless hustle. He played 24 minutes, his most since the arrival of Granger and DeVries, scored two points and grabbed five boards.
"Lenny and Mark (Walters) had a great week of practice," McKay said. "We've been thinking that we have to get Lenny in there more, and he has proven why. He's very good on the defensive end, and he is confident with the ball. He's a good young player for us."
Dwight Boatner led the Rams with 11 points.
UNM takes on Wyoming Monday night at The Pit. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m. The Lobos can be heard live on 770 KKOB AM.
