Right before tipoff, the men’s basketball team got some news that charged the players up to beat TCU.
The crowd and players learned that Colorado State had beaten MWC leaders San Diego State. The crowd roared. UNM was just one game behind the Aztecs if the Lobos could beat TCU, which they did easily by 71-54.
“These next two games are really important for us now that San Diego State just dropped one against CSU, and that puts us in the hunt again,” senior guard Phillip McDonald said. “We were one game behind from first place and if we can get these next two in the ‘win’ column, we’ll be in good shape.”
TCU kept the game close and had a one-point lead over UNM with 9:38 left in the first half, but it would be the last time in the game they would be ahead.
UNM then went on a 12-2 run and took a seven-point lead into halftime.
“It was a really good win,” head coach Steve Alford said. “I’m really proud of our team and they did a great job defensively. Overall, it was a terrific win; we needed these two.”
The Lobos continued to control the game with sophomore guard Tony Snell hitting two quick 3-pointers to start the second half and take their lead to 17 with 15:54 left.
Snell finished with a game-high 18 points, going 7-12 shooting, including 4-8 from behind the arc.
“Tony Snell had a very good game offensively which was a huge key,” Alford said.
TCU went on a run of its own and cut the Lobos’ lead to just six with nine minutes remaining.
The Lobos responded and built their lead back up to 17, to finish the game.
Alford said TCU is a team that often comes from behind, and he was pleased with how his team responded to TCU’s run and didn’t let it get back into the game.
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“We know how explosive they can be and they started to make some 3s there in that stretch in the second half once we got up 15 points,” Alford said. “It was a really good credit to our guys. They didn’t panic and we did a good job of getting a good shot and stopping their run.”
The Lobos finished 28-58 shooting and 7-19 from behind the arc. TCU shot just 17-42 for the game. Both teams struggled with free throws, with UNM going 8-16 and TCU 12-21.
The win takes UNM to 17-4 and Alford said the key to UNM’s victory was stopping TCU’s Hank Thorns, who was the leading scorer for the Horned Frogs coming into the game and averaged more than 13 points a game.
UNM held him to just eight, and Alford credited sophomore guard Kendall Williams for his defensive performance on Thorns. Williams was an added threat on the offensive end, finishing with 14 points and five assists.
“I thought the key to the game was Kendall Williams,” Alford said. “That is probably as good defensively that Kendall has been here, and that has been a good growth to see.”
