by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
When you hold an opposing team to 41 percent shooting on your home court, that should be a good sign.
When that same team can grab only eight offensive rebounds and two fast-break points, it sounds like a recipe for success.
However, the UNM men's basketball team put No. 13 Air Force in that position and lost 60-51 on Saturday at The Pit.
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If the Falcons' offense sputtered, the Lobos' stalled to a dead stop. Despite holding a 19-9 lead and limiting Air Force to 29 percent shooting in the first half, UNM let another opportunity slip away in the second half.
Lobo head coach Ritchie McKay said the Lobos did not play with any chemistry at the end of the game.
"I think we went off on our own a little bit," he said. "I don't think we were working for the same shots."
With 2:56 remaining in the game, the Lobos were within one score, trailing 48-45. However, UNM did not score another point until there were 33 seconds left, and at that point trailed 54-48.
UNM leading scorer J.R. Giddens sat on the bench for about the last five minutes. He scored a team-high 10 points but was just 4-of-13 from the field, including 0-of-5 in the second half.
At times, Giddens had poor shot selection, and McKay was comfortable with the five players he had on the court, he said.
"I wanted to play a lineup that was going to give us the best chance to be able to contain the balance and get a good shot," he said. "I thought (J.R.) had a bad shot in that stretch."
Giddens' shooting struggles were a reflection of the whole team Saturday. Darren Prentice, Tony Danridge and Giddens combined to shoot 11-of-34 from the field, including 4-of-16 from 3-point range.
The Lobos' numbers were similar to Air Force in almost every category. However, UNM went on numerous long, scoreless droughts.
In the first half, Prentice hit a field goal to give UNM a 19-9 lead. The Lobos would not score again until the 3:06 mark, allowing Air Force to erase the deficit.
And although UNM rebounded to take a 23-19 halftime lead, the Lobos never stretched the margin in the second half.
The Lobos were not attacking the basket enough in the second half, which was part of the reason for the poor offensive performance, Prentice said.
"They did a great job defensively," he said. "I don't want to take anything away from them, but I think that in the second half, we were settling for more outside shots and quick shots instead of getting the ball into the paint."
