LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Guard Tim Lightfoot’s two free throws with 6.9 seconds left to play iced the UNM men’s basketball team’s 56-53 win over the University of Utah and secure a place in the finals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.
UNM meets Brigham Young University tonight at 8 p.m., with the winner taking home the Mountain West Conference championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s obviously a very satisfying win for us,” UNM head coach Fran Fraschilla said. “We had a great week of practice and we have a relatively young team that has bounced back from adversity all year.”
UNM point guard Marlon Parmer actually had a chance to put the Utes away earlier after being fouled by Utah guard Kevin Bradley with 25.8 seconds to play and the Lobos leading 54-52. His two free throws would have given UNM a four-point cushion, but Parmer missed both to give the Utes a chance to tie.
UNM center Patrick Dennehy fouled Utah’s Britton Johnsen with 10.3 seconds on the clock, but he made only one of two attempts, and Lightfoot’s free throws sealed the victory for the Lobos. Parmer, who had a career-high 24 points against Utah a week ago in The Pit, slashed and drove his way to 16 points to lead the Lobos. Forward Wayland White and guards Ruben Douglas and Eric Chatfield all had seven points, and Douglas added eight rebounds.
Utah’s Britton Johnsen scored 17 points and hauled down 10 rebounds for the Utes, but his two missed free throws were instrumental in Utah’s loss. The Utes jumped out to an 8-2 lead to begin the game, as UNM bricked several of its early shots. The Lobos finally took an 11-9 lead with 9:55 to play on three free throws by Lightfoot. White’s two-point basket but the Lobos ahead 22-20 with more than two minutes to play and UNM would lead the rest of the half, taking a 28-23 advantage at halftime on White’s 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Lobos shot only 29 percent from the field in the first half, compared to Utah’s 42.9 percent performance. With UNM leading 31-25 near the beginning of the second half, Utah strung together nine straight points to take a 34-31 lead. For the first time in the tournament, the UNM crowd seemed out numbered, with Utah fans screaming in delight at the Utes’ run.
But Parmer’s high-arcing basket with less than 12 minutes to play gave the Lobos a 39-37 advantage, and they would lead the rest of the way. Utah’s Nate Althoff had the chance to close UNM’s 54-50 lead to two, but he missed a wide-open shot underneath the basket. Nick Jacobsen then went to the line for three free throws after Douglas fouled him on a 3-point attempt, but he made only two, which led to the games’ final sequence of plays. BYU has won three straight against the Lobos, going back to last year’s Mountain West Conference Tournament, when the Cougars dropped the Lobos in the first round 55-43.
The Cougars advanced to the finals by shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and 69 percent from 3-point land against the University of Wyoming Friday night in their 77-66 victory. But Fraschilla said he was confident, since the two teams have played close this year.
“We’ve got to play a very good BYU team, which we took down to the wire last Thursday night,” Fraschilla said. “Fortunately, they have played two games in two days like we have.”
The Lobos shot only 33 percent from the field against Utah and made two of its 12 3-point attempts, but Fraschilla said he would take a win anyway he could get it.
“They’ve got five seniors and two of the best five players in the league, so definitely that’s a concern. I don’t care if we shoot 30 percent tomorrow night and win.”
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The game will be televised on ESPN and can be heard on 770 KKOB-AM.
