It was a milestone and a memory-maker all wrapped up in one.
The previously slumping UNM men’s basketball team gave its coach and senior leader a reason to celebrate after dispatching Air Force 66-61 Saturday at The Pit. Point guard Dairese Gary got a fond farewell, and head coach Steve Alford notched his fourth straight 20-win season at UNM.
“We knew we had our hands full with a very disciplined, very well-placed team,” he said.
The Falcons shot 46 percent and hit more 3-poiners (nine) than UNM, but the Lobos won the game from the charity stripe. UNM hit 22 to Air Force’s four, and Gary’s 13 free-throw attempts were six more than the Falcons shot.
Fifth-seeded UNM will play Colorado State in the Mountain West Conference Tournament Thursday afternoon. The teams split the season series, each winning at home, and Gary said UNM is looking forward to playing the Rams a third time.
“Last time we didn’t put a whole game together,” he said. “Now we have been putting whole games together, so we’re going to see what happens.”
The Lobos could meet up with BYU in the MWC tournament semifinals if they get past CSU. Dating back to last season, UNM has a four-game winning streak against the Cougars.
With MWC tournament seeding already set, the Lobos were playing almost exclusively for Gary, who was gunning for a win on Senior Night.
Air Force played stingy basketball and pinched the Lobos’ inside game.
Forced to the perimeter, UNM found itself down 20-13 halfway through the first period.
Filling in for injured guard Tony Snell, Jamal Fenton led the Lobos back with quick penetration and nifty first-half ball handling. Snell sat with a sprained ankle, but the Lobos didn’t skip a beat with Fenton contributing 11 points.
“I just saw that we were a little low on energy and my job was to be a spark from the bench,” Fenton said. “I just had to bring it ’cause Tony was out, and I had to pick up his points.”
Midway through the first half, Fenton hit a 3-pointer, then took a full-court pass from Gary for a layup that was the Lobos’ first two-point basket of the game.
If anything, Snell’s absence was a key factor to the Lobos’ outside game. They hit seven 3-pointers in the first half, but were limited to just one in the second half.
Fenton created a lot of opportunities for Gary to drive into the lane and draw fouls, and the lanes opened up in the second half. UNM won the rebound game, 35-25, in part because of center Drew Gordon’s 11th double-double of the season.
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“I think in this three-game streak, Jamal has a lot to do with it,” Alford said. “He’s playing better. He’s playing the way he needs to play. He’s playing quick defensively, and he’s knocking down shots.”
Momentum on their side, the Lobos travel to Las Vegas, Nev., with a favorable No. 4/No. 5 matchup and a chance to make another NCAA tournament run.
“We have to have a better effort than when we played last time at their house, so we owe them,” Fenton said. “I think our fan support will come out more than their fan support.”
