by Kevin McFarland
Daily Lobo
Two exhibition games.
Two different stories.
The UNM men's basketball team held Division II foe Seattle Pacific University to 30 percent shooting from the floor on Saturday night, but only managed to win 71-53 after putting up 110 points last week against New Mexico Highlands University.
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The Lobos' defense last week was far from perfect though, letting Highlands score 79 points in the game.
"I thought we were the exact opposite of our first exhibition game," head coach Ritchie McKay said. "We were pretty good defensively and not very fluid offensively."
The Lobo offense, which relied heavily on three-pointers and superb shooting to drop 110 points on Highlands, shot only 27 percent from beyond the arc and 52 percent from the free-throw line against the Falcons.
The Lobos made only four threes against Seattle Pacific, compared to the 17 they drained last week.
With their shots not falling, New Mexico relied on a couple of senior leaders to carry the load. David Chiotti played strong in the post, finishing with a game-high 20 points, while Mark Walters penetrated to the basket for the majority of his 17.
No other Lobo scored in double figures, but sophomore guard Darren Prentice and senior guard Kris Collins netted seven points each.
McKay said Lobo fans shouldn't be surprised to see that kind of output from Walters and Chiotti this season.
"Mark played very well and I thought David was very good after he started to play more patient," McKay said. "Those two guys are obviously going to carry us."
Walters provided some entertaining moments during the defensively themed contest.
At the beginning of the second half, Walters lost his balance on the baseline and went crashing into the cement at the bottom of the ramp.
The crowd stared in silence, as Walters appeared to be in pain. But after getting back on his feet, Walters came straight back into the game to electrify the crowd with an acrobatic put-back dunk.
Walters also proved reliable time-after-time as he got things going for the Lobos when the offense stalled.
"We know Mark can get to the rim against anyone," Chiotti said. "He's going to take advantage of that any time he can."
Joel Box and Kyle Prochaska, the junior college transfers that gave the Lobos an extra boost against Highlands, saw limited action. Neither played more than 17 minutes, and they combined for only five points.
"We have so many guys," McKay said. "We're still trying to find a rotation and find a depth chart. It's a challenge when you consider we've got 12 guys that played tonight."
After the tough night of shooting, the Lobos are eager to get back into practice before officially starting the season with three straight games in the Jim Thorpe Classic that begins Friday.
"Last year we won those first three and got going from there," Chiotti said. "I think we need a great week of practice to get us ready."
