by Andre van der Merwe
Daily Lobo
Although Utah had three players listed at seven feet tall, give or take an inch, it was the UNM men's basketball team that came out looking like giants Saturday.
The Lobos beat the Utes on Saturday at The Pit, 64-53.
With the win, UNM improves to 12-9 on the season and 3-5 in the Mountain West Conference. Utah falls to 10-9 overall, 3-5 in the conference.
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UNM also dominated the post and had 28 points in the paint against Utah's big men.
David Chiotti and the rest of the Lobo post players more than held their own against a team that featured three monsters in the middle. Utah's Chris Jackson and Jonas Langvard stand 6-feet-11-inches while Luke Nevill is listed at 7-foot-1 inch. Despite being outsized, the 6-foot-9-inch Chiotti outscored the trio 14-7.
Chiotti and Mark Walters led the way for the UNM offense, scoring 14 points each. The two seniors helped the Lobos give a pressure-filled defensive effort against the Utes. The Lobos' stingy defense led to a 21-9 run in the second half against Utah, which was a key to the victory.
"I was really happy with David and Mark and the way their leadership kind of spearheaded a very good defensive effort," head coach Ritchie McKay said.
The Lobos' tough defense led to 19 turnovers for Utah in which New Mexico converted into 23 points. The defense for the Lobos was also a big reason why Utah shot a poor 25 percent (5-of-20) from the field in the first half. Utah shot better in the second half, but still ended the game with 39 percent shooting.
Utah made runs throughout the game, but whenever it seemed like UNM was in trouble, a Lobo player would step up with a big shot or key defensive play.
The Lobos went into the locker room with a 29-21 lead and extended the advantage to 10 points by scoring the first basket of the second half. Utah cut the lead to 35-31 with 15:55 remaining, but that was as close as they would get. UNM went on a 10-0 run to put the game at 45-31 with 10:49 remaining.
It wasn't only defense and turnovers that the Lobos capitalized on against Utah.
While Chiotti and Walters gave Utah headaches, they weren't the only players the Utes had to deal with. Kyle Prochaska and Joel Box, both junior transfers, disturbed the Utes' rhythm on several occasions. Prochaska's fast hands helped him grab five offensive rebounds, while Box's toughness and 12 points were also keys to victory.
Walters said he admires Prochaska's down and dirty work and complimented his determination.
"That's what Kyle does," Walters said. "He does the little things. You know the hustle plays, and getting offensive rebounds, and he does it every day in practice."
McKay said he was pleased with what he saw from Box in his first opportunity to start.
"When Joel is on the floor, the spacing is better because he's got a reputation that he can shoot," McKay said. "He is one of the leading three-point shooters in the league, if I'm not mistaken, in terms of accuracy."
Walters said the victory should jump-start the Lobos for the homestretch of the regular season.
"Hopefully this will give us some confidence heading into Colorado State and TCU on the road," Walters said.
