LAS CRUCES — For at least one more game in the 2010 season, the UNM men’s basketball team could be in deep water.
Troy Gillenwater, considered NMSU’s sixth man during its 2010 Western Athletic Conference tournament championship run, has found his role as the Aggies’ scorer. The junior scored 32 points to lead NMSU, but the Lobos escaped the City of Crosses in an overtime affair 84-78 Saturday at the Pan American Center.
Unfazed by the Lobos’ feisty defense, Gillenwater pumped in 21 first-half points. He was the Aggies’ only scoring presence and helped erase a 17-point lead 10 minutes into the contest.
Gillenwater said his instincts told him to be aggressive.
“I looked to score,” Gillenwater said. “My teammates did a great job looking for me and giving me good shots. I think we came out and played hard in the first half and the second half, but I think that it kind of got into a free-throw contest. That’s kind of how the second half went with fouls, and no one was able to catch a real rhythm.”
Without a point guard, it was especially hard for the Aggies to finish off the Lobos.
NMSU point guards Hernst Laroche and Christian Kabongo fouled out before the overtime period.
But Gillenwater said the Aggies have practiced to face that type of situation.
“It wasn’t that tough,” he said. “Gordo (Castillo) has been practicing being the point guard in practice a lot. So, even though Christian and Hernst were out, Gordo understood the position, and I think he did a pretty good job.”
Yet as quickly as Gillenwater heated up, he cooled down and struggled in the second half, and it was in large part to the swarming UNM defense.
To his end, Gillenwater delivered for the Aggies.
UNM head coach Steve Alford said his team was fortunate that the outcome was decided by late-game free throws.
“I thought he had a good first half,” Alford said. “Looking back, we held (them) to 37 percent shooting, and they only made 3s at half. It was really the foul line that kept them in striking distance.”
Despite only scoring nine points in the second half, Gillenwater said he was getting great looks.
“Those shots that I missed, I am really capable of making those shots,” he said. “It’s just that they didn’t go down.”
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Gillenwater said he was disgusted with his performance in the final 35 minutes of Saturday’s game. He missed back-to-back 3-pointers in the waning moments of overtime.
Gillenwater said he was running on empty from the physical play with the Lobos.
“I wouldn’t say (I was) fatigued,” he said. “I just have to get better.”
Lucky for him, he has another opportunity on Saturday.
