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Rebels edge Lobos in final minute

DENVER, Colo. - The third time is supposed to be the charm.

Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament, the Lobos checked in and out of the heartbreak hotel, losing to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas for the third time this year 55-53.

UNLV (17-11) advances to the semifinals of the tournament against Colorado State, while UNM finishes their season at 14-14, losing all of the road games in the process.

It was dj vu of the two teams' last meeting and the Rebels' experience once again reigned supreme. With UNM down 55-53, the Lobos got the ball after Rebel guard Romel Beck slammed home an alley-oop pass from teammate Jerel Blassingame to give UNLV a two-point lead. UNM got the ball with 21 seconds on the game clock, holding it for one final shot. But Rebel's forward J.K. Edwards stole Troy DeVries' entry pass into the paint to Danny Granger.

"I tried to seal off for position," Granger said. "J.K. Edwards just came off the high side and made a great defensive play."

After a Lobo foul, UNLV forward, Odartney Blankson went to the free-throw line for a one and one. After missing the front end, the Rebels got the offensive rebound, but the ball was awarded to the Lobos after a jump ball was called. UNM's hail mary pass was punched into the air as the horn sounded.

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The Lobos let the game slip right through their hands, as UNLV only had the lead twice, the first time being with 5:29 left in the game. The Rebels slowly chipped into the Lobos' second half lead. With 13:38 left in the game, UNM held a 41-32 advantage. But Rebel guard, Demetrius Hunter was the spark the Rebels needed. He came into the second half and buried three timely three-point bombs.

In a lethargic first half, UNM, using a slow-down offense jumped to a 4-2 lead. The Lobos went on a 15-2 run giving them a 19-4 cushion with 8:55 remaining in the half. UNM was able to halt the high-tempo attack of UNLV, but the Rebels answered with their own 18-7 run, closing the gap to 26-22. At the end of the half, Chiotti hit a runner as the buzzer sounded, pushing the Lobos into the locker room with a 30-24 halftime advantage.

Beck's game-high 23 points led UNLV on 9 of 17 shooting. UNM was led by Granger. He finished the game with 14 points and 8 rebounds.

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