The UNM men's basketball team used a stingy defense to ground Air Force 59-44 on Saturday at The Pit, ending a two-game losing streak.
The Falcons managed just 17 first-half points and dropped to 10-7 overall and 2-2 in the Mountain West Conference.
Meanwhile, the Lobos improved to 15-4 overall and 2-2 in the conference after holding the Falcons to 27.5 percent shooting - Air Force's worst performance of the season.
UNM head coach Steve Alford said he expected a tough game, but the Lobo defense proved otherwise.
"This was a very good defensive effort," he said. "We knew it was going to be a hard game because they came in very confident. They came really running their stuff and executing well. Nobody has done to them what we've been able to do to them."
The 14,000-plus in attendance didn't have much to look at offensively for the first five minutes of the game. The game was scoreless until 14:42 left in the first half.
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Alford said he wasn't disturbed by his team's inability to score since the Falcons weren't having any success either.
"I was actually pleased because we hadn't given up any points," Alford said. "This is an inexperienced group being at this level. We're in year one of this thing."
Senior guard J.R. Giddens led the game with 15 points and added 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double in six games for the Lobos.
Although Giddens' performance on offense was a big contribution, Alford said he was more pleased with his defensive effort.
"I thought the difference was that (Giddens) did a great job defensively, and I think the team really feeds on that," he said.
Giddens said UNM's slow start on offense wasn't a concern because the defense kept the Lobos in the game.
"We did a good job of getting stops," Giddens said. "If you can't hit shots and the other team can't hit shots, then you're not behind."
The Lobo defense forced Air Force to commit 13 turnovers, which the Lobos turned into 13 points.
The Lobos held onto the 15-point halftime lead to finish the game, something the Lobos struggled with in their two recent losses. On Jan. 15, UNM had a 48-30 lead against TCU in the second half but fell 74-72. In the previous game, the Lobos were up 14 on San Diego State but lost 72-67.
Alford said Saturday's outcome was a relief after the way the team let the leads slip during the losing streak.
"We needed to see success of building a lead and holding a lead," Alford said. "I thought tonight our guys really executed our defensive plan for 40 minutes."
