@JROppenheim
The New Mexico men’s basketball team, ranked No. 15 in the nation, held a 22-point second-half lead over Colorado State Wednesday night at The Pit. With 11:59 remaining, the Lobos led 54-32.
Victory appeared imminent. Then the shooting slump happened.
Over a period of seven minutes, the Lobos did not score a field goal on nine attempts. The three points in that stretch came from the free throw line. Colorado State responded by cutting the deficit to 57-49.
The Rams continued to chip away at the lead, trailing by as few as three in the final moments. But UNM held on to preserve its unblemished Mountain West Conference record. The final score: 66-61.
“Through 30 minutes, we were really good,” UNM coach Steve Alford said. “We lost some concentration for a six- or seven-minute frame, but then the things we had to do down the stretch, whether it was make free throws get stops.”
The win, which gives UNM a two-game lead over anyone in the MWC, is the Lobos’ fourth straight since conference play began Jan. 9. They are 17-2 overall.
Colorado State (15-4, 2-2 MWC) lived up to its reputation as the league’s best rebounding team. The Rams pulled down 42 rebounds, including 27 on the offensive end. UNM, meanwhile, had 28 total rebounds.
Foul trouble plagued both teams, which combined for 45 fouls. Two starters fouled out — UNM junior guard Hugh Greenwood and CSU’s Greg Smith — and four other players had at least four personal fouls.
The Lobos’ free throw shooting came through, especially late in the game when CSU trimmed the lead. UNM finished the game hitting 21 of 26 from the foul line. Two Lobo guards, senior Jamal Fenton and junior Tony Snell, sank their four foul shots in the final 40 seconds to seal the victory.
“This team does a lot more than make free throws,” CSU coach Larry Eustachy said. “This was two very good teams, and it was a great game. I’m proud of the guys, and we just got out-toughed three-quarters of the game.”
Snell’s shots came after two late turnovers that kept CSU in the game. The Rams had two 3-pointers off those miscues.
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Otherwise, Snell posted another strong effort. He led all scorers with 23 points and made eight of his 19 attempts from the field.
Senior forward Chad Adams added 13 points. He did not miss a shot in the first half, finishing 3 of 5 from the field.
Three CSU players accounted for 49 points. Guard Wes Eikmeier netted 20 points for the Rams, followed by 15 from center Colton Iverson and 14 from guard Dorian Green. Iverson dominated the boards, completing a double-double with 14 rebounds.
Colorado State won the battle in the post with 22 points in the paint, compared to UNM’s 16. The Lobos fared better off turnovers, outscoring the Rams 22-10 in that category.
For the game, UNM was 19 of 22 on field goals, with 7 of 16 from 3-point range. CSU was 21 of 57 from the field, 6 of 21 from the arc and 13 of 23 from the foul line.
“Each week, I feel better about this. We’re pretty good,” Alford said. “We’re a pretty good basketball team and we’re getting better because we beat a good basketball team.”
