LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Billy White’s shooting performance in the first half of the Mountain West Conference semifinals looked better than his typical full-game stats.
He had 17 points in the first half, nearly double his season average (10).
The Aztecs luminary forward finished with a performance like the bright lights on the Las Vegas Strip. The Aztec junior had a career-high 28 points and his 11 field goals made tied a MWC tournament record on Friay at the Thomas & Mack Center against the UNM men’s baksetball team. The last time a player hit 11 field goals in the MWC tournament was former Utah center Luke Neville, who accomplished that against — who else? — the Lobos in 2008.
Better yet, White’s career-best basketball recital came while he was hobbled by injury.
Against UNM in San Diego on Jan. 5, White suffered a high-ankle sprain and missed one game during the regular season, an Aztec loss to Wyoming.
White re-injured the ankle in SDSU’s, 72-71, victory over Colorado State in the quarterfinals of the MWC tournament on Thursday.
It didn’t matter. White wasn’t going to allow that to affect him.
“I think this is the most important (game) to me,” said White, a Las Vegas, Nev., native. “I think this year is just our year, and we worked so hard all year. We just deserved this win. We came out there and fought the whole 40 minutes. So, you know, it just meant a lot to me and this team.”
UNM point guard Dairese Gary said White’s epic play couldn’t have been stunted by any team in the country.
“He played like a man,” Gary said. “That’s the only you can say in the post. He made some great plays, great shots and played strong. And, I mean, he finished strong. We did the best we could and played good D. Some of the shots that he hit, it was tough shots, like I said. We did what we had to do on him, but he just had a great game tonight.”
And he doesn’t even get docked for not getting any rebounds on Friday.
White made his presence known on the court, and it was enough to motivate his team and frustrate the Lobos all night.
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“My teammates just came to me,” White said. “(I was) hot, and we’re going to keep giving you the ball. They kept boosting my confidence up and I knew if I could get close to the basket, I could keep making every shot. That’s what I tried to do tonight.”
