After the UNM men's basketball team let another big lead slip away, it seemed the Lobos were set up for an all-too-familiar loss.
But even after Utah erased a 12-point deficit and took a nine-point lead in the second half, it was UNM's "sixth man" that helped carry the Lobos to a 77-67 overtime victory Tuesday at The Pit.
UNM head coach Steve Alford said it was the fans' collective energy that helped the Lobos stave off a disappointing loss.
"I thought that was the best crowd I've ever been involved with," he said. "When we had a lead, they had energy. And when we were down six or seven, they had energy that got us back in the game, and they got us over the hump in overtime."
UNM started hot, jumping out to a 12-5 lead and making a surge at the end of the first half to go into the locker room with a 31-21 lead. In that half, the Lobos forced the Utes into 10 turnovers, which they converted into 16 points.
Through the first 35 minutes, UNM held 7-foot-1-inch Utah center Luke Nevill to three points and without a field goal attempt. Nevill would finish the game 4-of-6 from the field with 13 points and nine rebounds. But Alford said he was pleased with the way his big men battled the Utah giant.
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Daniel Faris said containing Nevill was a tiresome task, but he received plenty of help from his teammates.
"He is one of the top centers in the nation," he said. "He is really good and talented. I just got to give all the credit to my guards coming down and helping me. A one-on-one match up like that is tough."
Containing Nevill didn't prove to be enough to put away the Utes, though. Johnnie Bryant - who finished with 25 points - hit consecutive 3-pointers to open the second half, cutting the UNM lead to four points.
The teams traded baskets for the next couple of minutes before Utah went on a run and took a 56-47 lead with 8:35 remaining.
But with the crowd still into the game, the Lobos battled back to take a 58-56 lead with 3:14 left in the game.
With the game knotted at 60, Utah's Tyler Kepkay missed a 3-pointer with three seconds remaining, and Jamaal Smith's desperation 3-point attempt at the buzzer bounced off the rim.
In the opening moments of overtime, Faris scored and drew the fifth and final foul on Nevill, ending his night early.
UNM connected on 9-of-11 free throws in overtime to seal the game.
Giddens said the clutch free-throw shooting turned out to be the difference in Tuesday's win and conference losses to TCU and San Diego State.
"That is where we lost the last two games with TCU and San Diego State," he said. "Even though we lost that lead, we still could have hit free throws down the stretch and kind of put it out of reach."
In addition to playing solid defense on Nevill, Faris was the Lobos' most active offensive player. His 15 points came on 7-of-16 shooting from the field with his 16 attempts being a career high.
Alford said he didn't expect Faris to be that involved on the offensive end coming into the game.
"We didn't design it for him to get 16 freaking shots," he said. "But I thought he did a tremendous job."
Men's basketball at BYU
Saturday, 4 p.m.
Provo, Utah
