by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
The UNM men's basketball team had four players finish in double figures Saturday at The Pit.
The Lobos had 19 assists, compared to just nine turnovers, and they shot 80 percent from the free-throw line.
Still, in Saturday's 88-79 loss to Colorado State University, UNM trailed by double digits for the majority of the game and fell short, despite a late run. It was UNM's third straight loss.
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The reason the Lobos were never really in striking distance is because of the Rams' hot shooting. CSU shot 63 percent from the field and 55 percent from 3-point land.
UNM head coach Ritchie McKay said it's tough to win when the opposing offense is that successful.
"They shot 63 percent from the field, and they made 11-of-20 from 3 (-pointers)," he said. "You're not going to beat many teams when they shoot that effectively against your defense."
The Rams were especially sharp in the first half. They connected on 73 percent of field goals and 63 percent of their 3-pointers before intermission.
On the other hand, UNM shot 44 percent and 38 percent from 3-point range.
With CSU boasting three 7-foot players, the Lobos had to key in on the post, which allowed the Rams good shots from the outside, UNM's Ryan Kersten said.
"We were so focused on their interior," he said. "It left us watching them, and it left them to get open shots, which unfortunately, they were knocking down tonight."
UNM did have strong contributions across the board.
Guard and forward Tony Danridge scored a team-high 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Forward Kellen Walter added 13 points, and guard Jamaal Smith scored 12. Kersten chipped in with 10 points.
However, CSU countered by having four players score in double figures. The Lobos had an especially hard time slowing down Jason Smith, who scored a game-high 28 points.
Smith was efficient on offense, connecting on 11-of-15 field goals and 6-of-7 free throws. Smith finished with a double-double by grabbing 11 rebounds.
McKay said Lobos had a hard time slowing down Smith, who is a talented player.
"If you haven't noticed, Jason Smith is a good player, and he scored 29 last year here. So, it's not like we had a great matchup for him last year," he said.
Cory Lewis scored 17 points for the Rams, while Tim Denson hit 3-of-4 3-pointers and finished with 15 points.
CSU's Stephan Gilling scored 12 points, all four field goals being 3-pointers.
The Rams went on many runs throughout the game and routinely hit key shots to kill any momentum the Lobos built.
It started early in the first half, when CSU used a 13-0 run to jump out to a 19-8 lead after trailing 8-6. The Rams led by as many as 19 in the first half, and despite short spurts by the Lobos, they rode their offense the entire game.
McKay said the Lobos ran into a good team on Saturday.
"We couldn't get that big stop in the second half where we could put some more pressure on them," he said. "CSU is a good team. Coach has done a great job up there."
Kersten said the Lobos are not discouraged despite the losing streak.
"We've lost three in a row now," he said. "Teams have lost more than that before and come back and done something good. We still have a long way to go."
Men's basketball at Air Force
Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Colorado Springs, Colo.
