by Riley Bauling
Daily Lobo
When opposing teams prevent senior Mark Walters from scoring for the UNM men's basketball team, the Lobos get along just fine.
That's because Tony Danridge is waiting in the wings.
After dropping 10 of his 14 points in the first half of the Lobos' 62-48 win against Southern Utah University on Sunday at The Pit, Walters was shut down in the second, and Danridge hopped behind the wheel.
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The sophomore scored all of his career-high 13 points in the second half off dunks, jumpers and even a nifty reverse layup.
Walters said he's got no problem with Danridge taking the wheel when other teams clamp down on him.
"He's a great talent on the floor," Walters said. "Once he gets that aggressive kind of confidence, he can have the ability to take over games. When he gets aggressive on the court, he's hard to stop."
It wasn't just Danridge who wanted to take a turn driving the Lobos' bus.
Nine UNM players scored in the win, led by Walters' and David Chiotti's 14 points each.
"It's not just Tony, it's Dave (Chiotti) and anyone on the team," Walters said. "We're an unselfish bunch. It doesn't matter who scores on this team."
Each player shouldering some of the load for the Lobos is what makes the team tick, Walters said. It's also why it is 3-0 after the first weekend of the season.
"If I'm not scoring and I'm getting everybody else some shots or it's the other way around, if we're playing like that, we're hard to stop," he said.
First there was sophomore Kellen Walter's three off the bench to start a 10-0 run in the first half to put the Lobos up 12-10. Substitute Jeff Hart backed up Walter's three immediately with one of his own.
Next came sophomore substitute Chad Toppert's three to put the Lobos up 19-12 with 8:40 left, followed 30 seconds later by a Darren Prentice three off the bench to grab the Lobos a 10-point lead.
Then Danridge took over, dropped two jumpers on the Thunderbirds to start the second half, and the Lobos never looked back from a 40-27 lead.
"We were a little flat and a little stagnant in our offense, and I think their plan was to deny Mark and not give him a lot of touches, so Jeff and Kellen coming in and knocking down threes, that's the role they play and they're confident, as is Chad and some other guys we have," said head coach Ritchie McKay.
McKay said he doesn't expect any dropoff in play when he subs in his bench.
"When you play for us, we have an expectation of coming in and fulfilling your role," he said. "Those guys (the bench), they've done a good job this weekend, and I hope it continues to build confidence in them and our team."
UNM played three games in three days, beating South Carolina State 56-47 on Friday and Mississippi 95-42 on Saturday in the Jim Thorpe Classic. Starting point guard Kris Collins left early in the first half with a pulled muscle in his left leg. He played only seven minutes in the game but is expected back for the Lobos' game against Kansas State University on Wednesday in Manhattan, Kan.
Mark Walters was unanimously named the MVP of the tournament.
