With their backs against the ropes and lingering thoughts of a 0-3 conference start, the UNM men's basketball team defied the odds and upset San Diego State University in a 66-62 thriller at The Pit.
Led by a stingy defensive effort from the entire team, timely shooting by junior guard Javin Tindall and a little luck in their corner, the Lobos outlasted the hot shooting of the Aztecs.
In front of a boisterous crowd of 15,003, the Lobos (7-9, 1-2 MWC) earned the victory and hurdled back into contention in the Mountain West Conference race.
The Lobos raced out to a 37-30 halftime lead with prolific shooting from inside and outside the arc. They shot 10 of 19 from the floor, including 6-10 from the three-point line in the half.
Tindall picked up where he left off Wednesday night, knocking down five of six from beyond the arc, dropping a season-high 17 points, while a gutsy Ruben Douglas fended off double teams all night for a game-high 21 points. Although he struggled to find his shot, going four for 13, Douglas found a way to the hole and to the charity stripe, where he buried all 10 of his free-throw attempts.
"It was a good victory for us," Douglas said. "We need to go back to practice and work on our game situations because we kind of gave up the lead at the end. We were up by 11 points. We gave that up and it came down to a couple plays. But these are the games you've got to win, especially on your home floor. That's when it counts."
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The game did have some drama. While the Lobos dominated the Aztecs for the first 31 minutes, building a 59-46 lead, UNM went stiff, hitting only one field goal in the next eight minutes. Reminiscent of blown leads in the past, The Pit fans and the players felt the pressure, but this game the Lobos possessed a trait not seen this year.
"We've got confidence and a little luck," Tindall said. "We're working on winning these close games, which we did tonight."
Trailing most of the game, the Aztecs stormed back and had a chance to take the lead late. After a missed jumper by Douglas, SDSU got the ball back with 15 seconds left trailing 63-62. SDSU's Mike Mackell drove the lane and zipped the ball to teammate Evan Burns waiting under the basket for a sure two points. But the ball deflected off his shoulder and bounced out of bounds. With 5.7 seconds remaining and the Lobos with possession, SDSU came out with a full-court press vying for the steal. With all the attention on Douglas, freshman guard Mark Walters broke free and sprinted down the court. Junior Ryan Ashcraft lobbed the ball deep and hit him in stride. Walters took the ball and delicately layed it in, although he could have run the clock out.
Down by three, the Aztecs had one more shot, but the inbounds pass was picked off by the athletic Walters to seal the victory.
Although the Lobos could not get a field goal late in the game, they did get to the free throw line and made it count. They shot 19-24, good for 79.2 percent. During the Aztecs second half come back, they shot an outrageous 74 percent from the floor.
Sophomore forward Jamaal Williams finished the game with 13 points and seven rebounds while Ashcraft contributed seven points and three assists.
Next, the Lobos take on the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Monday at The Pit. The game will be televised on ESPN's "Big Monday" and can be heard on 610 KKOB. Tip-off is at 10 p.m.
