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The No. 14 New Mexico men fared much better the second time around against San Diego State than during their previous matchup, capturing a 70-60 victory over the Aztecs Wednesday night at The Pit.
When the teams battled Jan. 26, SDSU thrashed UNM 55-34 and held it to a 25 percent field goal mark, one of the lowest in the team’s recorded history. The Lobos responded Saturday by hitting 47.7 percent from the field. They made 12 shots in 20 attempts in the second half, a 60 percent mark.
UNM improved to 24-4 overall this season and 11-2 in Mountain West Conference play.
“When you get pressured, you have to be able to drive the ball. If you can’t drive it, you get chewed up. That’s what happened to us in Game 1,” UNM head coach Steve Alford said. “(On Wednesday) we did a much better job driving it, and that opened things up offensively.”
UNM sophomore center Alex Kirk scored a season-high 25 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Junior forward Cameron Bairstow added 16 points and junior guard Tony Snell had 10.
Coming off his 46-point effort against Colorado State last Saturday, junior Kendall Williams scored only eight points but provided eight assists. No other player on either team made more than three assists Wednesday night.
UNM and SDSU battled tight throughout the first half as the Lobos held a 28-26 lead. New Mexico opened the game up with a 15-3 run, building a 48-33 lead. SDSU got no closer than six points through the remainder of the game.
Junior guard Jamaal Franklin was SDSU’s only double-digit scorer with 16 points.
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