J.R. Giddens had the best game of his career Saturday, and it was the best individual performance fans at The Pit have seen in some time.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the senior guard's performance was that he was unselfish and didn't disrupt the team game, UNM head coach Steve Alford said.
"He's been special all year long," he said. "We've obviously been wanting him to get a little bit more aggressive offensively, but I didn't think he forced things."
In the UNM men's basketball team's 100-55 win over Wyoming, Giddens exploded for a career-high 36 points on 15-of-24 shooting. He also finished with 11 rebounds and six steals and was taken out of the game in the final minutes to a standing ovation.
Giddens said he knew from early on in Saturday's game that he had a chance to do something special.
"When things started flowing, and we were getting anything that we wanted on offense, I kind of figured it'd be a good day," he said.
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Giddens helped put the Cowboys away early, as 21 of his points came in the first half, guiding the Lobos to a 50-34 lead at the break.
Even with a big lead, Giddens kept the fans in The Pit on their feet with an array of explosive dunks.
Giddens said that anytime he gets a chance to bring energy to his teammates and the fans, he'll take it.
"A dunk is a powerful statement," he said. "Anytime I could throw it down and get the team enthused and get the crowd going, it's good for us at home."
As electric as Giddens was on offense, he was also efficient.
Alford said he only considered two of Giddens' 24 shot attempts questionable.
Giddens said he was happy to put up such staggering numbers without getting away from the team game plan.
"It's good because, obviously, when our offense is free-flowing, nobody can say that you were trying to force shots," he said. "When you run an offense, you run it to get shots, and so we were just getting what we wanted tonight."
As impressive as his offensive numbers were, Giddens was also a force on defense, grabbing 10 of his 11 rebounds on the defensive end. His six steals helped the Lobos to a team total of 16, a season high.
UNM guard Jamaal Smith said Giddens' energy helped the Lobos play at a higher level.
"Anytime you got a guy who's coming out enthused, it's going to flow through the team," he said. "Tonight, I think it flowed through both ends - on defense especially."
Giddens said his big night was made possible by the smart ball movement UNM had.
"My teammates did a good job of getting me open," he said. "I probably shouldn't get credit for a lot of those points. That's a lot of my teammates getting me open and getting it to me at the right time to score."
