Sports

Sports

And the turkey leg goes to ...

Isaac Avilucea | November 24

Readers, let us join hands, gather around the table and contemplate the holiday season. Thanksgiving is but a day away, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to express my gratitude for three unfolding events in the sportsphere. I doubt I’m alone in saying that this is something we can all be thankful for — the UNM football team’s season is mercifully winding to a conclusion: The moribund Lobos close out another carnage-filled year against third-ranked TCU on Saturday at University Stadium. Not being a BCS expert, I did a little online legwork to find out if the Horned Frogs have a vested interest in pummeling the Lobos. What I found is this: The BCS is composed of six interactive polls, but the polls are no longer mathematically modeled to incorporate margin of victory when calculating rankings. The BCS did away with that system in 2002, abandoning use of polls that factored in margin of victory. So, in the strictest sense, no, TCU doesn’t have an obligation to baste the Lobos like a Thanksgiving turkey.

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Sports

Locksley: Be like a race horse

Ryan Tomari | November 24

Will the UNM football team end its season the same way it started? Well, the Lobos will find out Saturday. Undefeated and third-ranked TCU rolls into Albuquerque, and with some help from other teams around the country, the Horned Frogs could potentially find themselves in the BCS National Championship on Jan.

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Sports

Thanksgiving joy hinges on increased effort

Shaun Griswold | November 24

The UNM men’s basketball team is looking to stuff the first turkey on its schedule. The Lobos will try to rebound after getting romped by 25 points against California on Saturday. Now 2-1, the Lobos host Northwood, a Division II team from Michigan, today at 7 p.m. Head coach Steve Alford joked that his team must carve through its opponent in order to avoid holiday stress. “There might be no spread at all, if things don’t go well Wednesday,” Alford said.

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Sports

Can’t pen in paper champs

Steve Fernandez | November 24

The Miami Heat aren’t necessarily 8-6 because of the play of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t squarely blame the supposed super group for the uninspiring start. The newly formed trio produces well enough on the court.

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Sports

From hopeful to heartbreak

Nathan Farmer | November 22

After a surprising NCAA tournament invitation, the UNM men’s soccer team’s celebration quickly turned horrific.

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Sports

BYU romp a fond farewell

Ryan Tomari | November 22

The BYU Cougars said goodbye to its seniors and the Mountain West Conference on Saturday by dismantling the UNM football team 40-7. Head coach Mike Locksley said another loss hasn’t made it easier for the players or coaching staff. “You never go into a game expecting to lose,” he said.

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Sports

Cal vanquished in double-OT dandy

Nathan Farmer | November 22

The UNM women’s basketball team needed every second on the clock — and then some — to claw to its second victory of the season. In a double-overtime duel, the Lobos outlasted California 63-54 on Saturday at The Pit in a game where both teams combined for 41 turnovers. “We had an opportunity to win it in regulation,” head coach Don Flanagan said.

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Sports

Guard's play head above rest

Brandon Call | November 22

The bigger you are, the harder you fall. That saying is probably foreign to UNM freshman Jasmine Patterson. Patterson, who is listed at a generous 5-feet 7-inches in the Lobos’ media guide, looks even shorter when standing next to opposing post players as she did Saturday when the UNM women’s basketball team faced much-taller California. The Golden Bears listed seven players at 6 feet or taller. But that doesn’t bother Patterson.

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Sports

Bidding adieu to BYU

Ryan Tomari | November 18

It’s two lasts for the UNM football team. One: It’s the last road game of the season. Two: Saturday marks the last matchup with BYU while it’s still a Mountain West Conference member.

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Sports

Historic season ends in NCAA first round

Nathan Farmer | November 18

It was a one-in-a million-type season for the UNM women’s soccer team. For the first time in Lobo history, UNM reached the NCAA tournament, but fell to Notre Dame 3-0 in the first round. “Notre Dame was a tough place to go and play, but we did well,” head coach Kit Vela said.

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Sports

Defense ready for road game

Shaun Griswold | November 18

Defending conference champion? Check. One senior on a freshmen-stocked roster? Check. Dominate at home?

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Sports

UNM soccer heads NCAA

Nathan Farmer | November 18

The UNM men’s soccer team received an early Christmas gift. After losing to Cal State Bakersfield in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation semifinals, the Lobos season looked all but over. But UNM unexpectedly received one of the last at-large bids to the NCAA tournament on Monday. “It’s crazy,” midfielder Michael Green said.

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Sports

Sun Devils sink in Pit

Shaun Griswold | November 17

Another impressive display by another UNM freshman. Guard Kendall Williams shot 4-of-5 from the 3-point range and finished with 15 points to lead UNM (2-0) to a 76-62 victory over Arizona State at The Pit on Tuesday night.

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Sports

Soccer Season Recap

Nathan Farmer | November 15

The UNM soccer teams’ seasons are over. Well, technically only the women’s season. The men still have an anorexic-slim chance at making the postseason, after losing 2-0 to Cal State Bakersfield in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament semifinal.

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Sports

New Pit sees first loss

Ryan Tomari | November 15

It wasn’t a well-scripted start for the UNM women’s basketball team; it was just nondescript. Outsized and outmatched, UNM shot 26 percent in the first half, and Texas Tech dismantled the Lobos 80-53 at The Pit in their regular-season opener Saturday.

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Sports

Diving Right In

Shaun Griswold | November 15

The UNM men’s basketball team might be young, but it’s not defenseless. Propelled by their stingy defense, the Lobos beat Detroit Mercy 63-54, and held the Titans to 30 percent shooting from the field before a raucous crowd of 15,145 on Saturday at The Pit.

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Sports

Record turnout fuels landslide win

Brandon Call | November 15

It was a landmark match for the UNM volleyball team Saturday. The Lobos blanked Wyoming 3-0 at Johnson Center and continued their seven-game winning streak, which included three straight sweeps.

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Sports

Minus the heavy hitters, youngsters look for glory

Shaun Griswold | November 12

It’s a brand new cast for a brand new year. After a 30-win season, back-to-back Mountain West Conference regular-season championships and a trip to the NCAA tournament, the UNM men’s basketball team is prepared to defend its title.

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Sports

Benched guard has opportunity to spring into action

Ryan Tomari | November 12

It’s been two years too long for swingman Curtis Dennis. The junior from the Bronx, N.Y., has been itching to get on Bob King Court and display his talents for the UNM men’s basketball team. Dennis probably won’t be a starter, but he said knows his responsibility: It’s to be a spark plug off the Lobos’ bench.

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Sports

Freshmen get chance to prove themselves

Brandon Call | November 12

The key to the UNM women’s basketball team’s success lies in its freshmen. With juniors Sara Halasz and Nikki Nelson out with season-ending knee injuries and senior Jessica Kielpinski playing with a bum foot, it will be up to the underclassmen to fill in. “I’ve said it quite a bit,” head coach Don Flanagan said.