Men’s Basketball
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The men’s basketball team went 2-1 in the 76 Classic over the Thanksgiving holiday, taking them to 6-2 for the season.
On Thursday, UNM lost in overtime to Santa Clara, 79-76, during the first round of the 76 Classic.
The Lobos were down by nine at half and were losing for much of the game. With 1:39 left, UNM was down 67-61, but 3-pointers from freshman guard Hugh Greenwood and sophomore guard Tony Snell sent the game to overtime.
Santa Clara continued its dominance for the overtime period as they went on to win.
The Lobos had three players in double figures, Snell leading the team with 18 points.
“We had some guys, very similar to the New Mexico State game, where there was just no production and we’re not good enough for that,” head coach Steve Alford said. “We’ve got to have production from guys who are supposed to produce. We are not a good defensive team and until we learn that and get to that (level), we’re going to have a lot of nights like this.”
On Friday, UNM beat Washington State 72-62 in the second round of the tournament.
The Lobos dominated much of the game and had a lead a high as 17 points in the first half. In the second half, the Lobos’ lead began to dwindle, but held on for the 10 point victory.
Snell led the scoring for the Lobos with a career high of 20 points, and sophomore guard Kendall Williams finished with 17.
“Bounce-back games aren’t easy, and that’s a credit to the guys,” Alford said. “The guys did a good job of having a lot of resolve and coming back and doing what was set up.”
On Sunday, the team finished 2-1 at the 76 Classic, after it beat Boston College 75-57.
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UNM had a 41-25 lead at halftime and settled down in a much more even second half. The Lobos shot 56.9% from the field and held Boston College to just 35.1%.
Senior forward Drew Gordon led all scorers with 21 and sophomore guard Tony Snell finished with 13, giving him 51 points over the three-game tournament.
“Two really good games for us; our guys really responded after a tough overtime loss (to Santa Clara),” Alford said. “Any time you come to a tournament like this, you want to come away with something of getting better. Defensively, in six days we did a lot of teaching and our guys have grown a little bit defensively, but we still have a long way to go. We’ve had issues in executing our offense and I think we’ve gotten better in three games here.”
Women’s Basketball
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The women’s basketball team beat Morehead State on Friday 69-52 to advance to the final of the UNM Thanksgiving tournament.
The win was the second in a row for UNM and the Lobos took a 36-21 lead into halftime.
Junior guard Caroline Durbin led all scorers with 22 points and went 9-12 from the floor.
Senior forward Porche Torrance was the only other player in double figures with 13.
Volleyball
LONG BEACH, Calif. — The women’s volleyball team lost its final game of the season on Saturday to Long Beach State, 3-1: 17-25, 21-25, 13-25, and 22-25.
Long Beach State was on a 14-game winning streak, but the Lobos kept the game close. In the end, however, the Lobos failed to win and finished the season 14-15.
The losing record is the first for head coach Jeff Nelson in his time at UNM.
