While the men's basketball team fought to breath life into a dying season, it wasn't enough to reverse a 66-65 loss to the University of Utah on the road Monday night.
The ESPN "Big Monday" game was a rough ride that largely mirrored what the heart of Mountain West Conference play has been like for the Lobos. UNM raced to an 11-point lead, endured a painful 24-3 Utah run, then rallied to tie the game in the final minute only to have a last-second 3-pointer by guard Eric Chatfield clang off the back rim.
"My hat's off to the kids in that locker room," head coach Fran Fraschilla said on his post-game radio show. "We played our hearts out and our attitude is sensational. They're hurt because we have came up on a road trip that is nightmare for Lobo basketball teams and came up short of two wins."
With the loss, the Lobos fall to 14-10, 4-6 in conference play while Utah improves to 19-5 and 9-2, securing sole possession of first place in the Mountain West.
The Lobos dominated the game early, but Utah answered with a potent run that looked like a knockout punch.
But, refusing to give up, UNM went on an 11-0 run in the final four minutes of the game behind 3-pointers by Chatfield and post Cody Payne and a pair of free throws by guard Ruben Douglas.
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With the game tied, the Lobos kept the Utes from scoring on their final possession until forward Patrick Dennehy fouled Utah's Britton Johnsen as he rebounded the ball with 7.6 seconds left. Johnsen hit one of two free throws while Dennehy, who fouled out, watched from the bench.
Chatfield inbounded the ball to Payne, who passed it back to Chatfield streaking up the sideline. He fired the ball from just beyond the 3-point arc on the left hand side, but the shot bounced off the back rim and fell just out of Payne's reach as time ran out.
"That was the play we wanted to run because Eric could have gotten a few dribbles closer to the basket, but then we wouldn't have had a shot at the offensive rebound," Fraschilla said.
As Utah surged during the first half, it looked as it the Lobos would never get that close. The biggest turnaround came on a six-point stretch that was sparked by a UNM shooting foul and technical foul on Fraschilla.
Dennehy was guarding Johnsen on the perimeter with his hand in the center's face when the Ute swatted it away twice, then drove to the basket. The two collided and Dennehy was called for the foul. Fraschilla responded irately over the lack of a call on Johnsen, earning his foul.
The Utes hit all four free throws and scored on the next possession for a swing that handed the Utes the boost they needed going into halftime with a 30-27 lead.
The 16-2 first-half run extended into the second half and did not subside until the Lobos' final rally that came up short.
Johnsen led all scorers with 23 points, including three 3-pointers, and he was 8-of-12 from the free throw line. Spivey added 12 points, while Jacobsen had 10. UNM was led by Dennehy and Chatfield, who had 16 points apiece, and Douglas with 11.
The one-point loss was an about-face when compared with the Utes' 81-51 win over UNM in The Pit Jan. 21.
"It's no moral victory tonight," Fraschilla said. "It was a good effort, but really a wasted one when you look at how close it was. Still, we had a great effort and attitude from a really terrific team. We're very close to being a good team. We came within a play of winning the game."
Fraschilla indirectly addressed criticism that has rocked the team during the past month. The problems included starting point guard Marlon Parmer's departure, Dennehy walking off the court in the final minutes of the Lobos' loss at Air Force last week, a team 2.17 grade point average, local newspapers calling for the coach's resignation and a three-game losing skid.
"We came away empty, but we came away with a lot of positives," Fraschilla said. "Our team's not quitting. Anyone who thought this team was going to quit or roll over doesn't know us. We have to keep battling and we really are doing that. I think we're going to be a tough team come Mountain West Conference Tournament time."
