After a lethargic, shaky start, the UNM men's basketball team used a late run keyed by a four-guard retooled lineup to propel it past the Air Force Academy 50-47 late Monday night in The Pit.
The Lobos have never lost to the Falcons on their home floor and survived a scare by the perennial Mountain West Conference cellar team. UNM improved to 11-4 overall and 1-0 in the conference play, while Air Force fell to a deceivingly poor 6-9 and 0-2. It was UNM's first win on ESPN's "Big Monday" feature in seven tries, but proved to be one of its more anemic outings.
"It was a game that we could have lost, we didn't, we're 1-0 in conference," UNM basketball coach Fran Fraschilla said. "We obviously can play a whole lot better, but we could have been staring down the barrel of 0-1, so from that standpoint, I thought it was a terrific win. This is the kind of game most teams lose and it's usually an upset, but we didn't lose."
The Falcons' methodical offense, which a spreads the floor, utilizes endless screens and eats nearly every second of shot clock, is often compared to the style that has given Princeton University moderate success. The approach combined with tough defense gave the Lobos fits throughout the game and knocked the wind out of both UNM and a quiet crowd of 16,013.
Air Force's style of play forced UNM to adjust and rely on a relatively young frontcourt. The Falcons effectively shut down perimeter shots and UNM's penetration offense, which accounts for at least one-third of the team's scoring.
Sophomore center Patrick Dennehy stepped up to the challenge, scoring 17 points and grabbing seven rebounds, including eight points that came down the stretch in the second half when the close game was decided.
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The rest of the scoring load was carried by junior transfer Senque Carey, the Lobos' starting point guard and newly crowned team captain, poured in 10 points and turned the ball over once in 35 minutes of play.
UNM suffered several scoring droughts throughout the game, with the most painful coming in the middle of the second half when Air Force went on a 13-0 run and saw the Lobos down seven points. UNM also coughed up the ball 18 times, a team record, before Dennehy and Carey helped the Lobos snap out of the lull.
"There's a five-minute stretch in the second half that I have to apologize to the fans for, but the bottom line is that it's a great win and we'll take it," UNM head coach Fran Fraschilla said. "All things considered, everything we went through this week, I am proud of our team not quitting. Being down seven to Air Force is like being down 17 to another team."
Carey broke the late drought by stealing the ball, driving down the floor and scoring a layup in what Fraschilla called the most important play of the game with less than five minutes remaining. Dennehy followed with a steal of his own and a reverse layup that set the tone for the UNM comeback.
Air Force guards A.J. Kuhle and Tim Keller proved to be the toughest sharp shooters to defend, racking up 11 and 13 points respectively to lead the Falcons. Center Tom Bellairs had a strong first half scoring five points, but Dennehy held him to just two points in the second half.
"The thing is that we didn't play as well as we should have, but no one really blows out Air Force because of the style of play they use - they play with their minds and not athleticism," Carey said.
The win came amid a soap opera of changes in the Lobo lineup. UNM took the court for only the second time this season without point guard Marlon Parmer, who sat on the bench in street clothing because of what Fraschilla called a "team issue." The crowd chanted for Parmer during various UNM droughts during the game. Fraschilla said afterward that he would talk to Parmer during the next few days and would then determine his status on the team.
Fraschilla also said that center Moustapha Diagne, who prior to the season had been anointed the Lobos' inside savior, went home to New Jersey to be with his family and see a doctor about his chronic foot ailment that has sidelined him for most of the year. The coach said Diagne might not evera play again, but added that he hopes Diagne returns to use the two years left on his scholarship to get his education.
