In a sense, what Kendall Wallace did to Steve Alford’s Lobos was poetic justice. Alford, renowned in his heyday for his artistic 3-point stroke, forced teams to extend their man-to-man defenses and do away with zones. This time it was Wallace, salting the Lobos’ wounds by peppering in a barrage of 3-pointers.
New Mexico 64- San Diego State 74 UNM is 14-2 in all and 0-1 in Mountain West Conference play
#19 New Mexico 68—Dayton 66 News for Lobo men’s basketball coach Steve Alford − well, it’s not really news. “Steve’s lucky,” said Dayton head coach Brian Gregory. For what?
#19 New Mexico 90-#20 Texas Tech 75 Pat Knight said his No. 20 Texas Tech Red Raiders played satisfied and overconfident in the 90-75 thumping handed to them by the UNM men’s basketball team at The Pit on Tuesday. “What it is — you have a hungry team here at New Mexico,” Knight said.
New Mexico 81 — New Mexico State 64
#19 New Mexico 66 vs Creighton 61
Nope, these Pokes don’t fear December —mainly because they’re rarely playing come this time of year. This time, Wyoming was here for the New Mexico Bowl, but the team straglled 11 points behind favored Fresno State (8-4 overall) in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys, however, fought back, closing a 28-17 fourth-quarter deficit, in which they needed a touchdown, two point conversion and late-game field goal to stage the improbable. These Pokes got a touchdown, the two-point conversion and field goal — plus an additional touchdown in the second overtime of Saturday’s game, giving them a 35-28 at University Stadium. The Pokes’ quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels, who was named offensive MVP at the conclusion of the game, completed a 13-yard touchdown pass, his third of the game, to wide receiver David Leonard, helping the Cowboys win their first bowl in five years.
Some people in the U.S. don’t know that New Mexico is a member of the union, let alone that the state hosts a Bowl game. But over the last two years, the rest of the country ought to have picked up on the New Mexico Bowl. Wyoming — led by first-year head coach Dave Christensen and freshman quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels — defeated Fresno State, 35-28, in a double-overtime thriller in the fourth installment of the Land of Enchantment’s very own ESPN football game. I didn’t think that the game would be a contest between the Cowboys and the Bulldogs, or that it would go into two overtimes.
#19 New Mexico 96 vs Northern Arizona 57
Second-year apathy doesn’t exist as far as Lauren Taylor is concerned. “Sophomore slump?” Taylor said about the jinx that often impedes second-year players’ progression.
Trying to get UNM’s star right-side hitter Taylor Hadfield to talk about her successes is like pulling teeth. The 6’1” junior from Corte Madera, Calif., isn’t one to boast, though she has every right to. Hadfield led the UNM volleyball team in kills for most of the season, finishing the year with 2.63 kills per set and a .252 hitting percentage.
The UNM men’s basketball team is undefeated against the Aggies this season — and not just the Lobos’ interstate rival. The Lobos beat the NMSU Aggies twice, and on Saturday UNM handed No.
Disclaimer: This column is satire. Dear UNM Administrators, Mike Locksley and message board bloggers: Season’s greetings from your sports editor at the Daily Lobo.It’s been a tumultuous year filled with embarrassment, angst and disappointment. Understandably, at this point, it’s safe to assume that I’m not your favorite person to interact with.
When it comes to turnarounds in NCAA Division I volleyball, Jeff Nelson has orchestrated the ultimate at UNM. When Nelson arrived in Albuquerque in 2007, the Lobos were in the middle of 13 straight losing seasons and a 32-88 stretch in Mountain West Conference play. A perennial MWC cellar dweller prior to his arrival, the Lobos have now posted three straight winning seasons under Nelson’s guidance.
The UNM men’s basketball team is potentially two consecutive wins away from a national ranking. The Lobos (8-0) are floating around the outskirts of the top 25 poll — getting votes in the AP and USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll. And if college basketball kept track of the top 50, the Lobos would be ranked about 35th.
Is the UNM women’s basketball team in the midst of an identity crisis? Truthfully, the Lobos’ play is, at this point, utterly amorphous, and UNM has yet to form a composite personality this season. In their losses, the Lobos (5-3) have been in a stream of consciousness disarray. There have been bright spots, like, say, center Valerie Kast scoring 14 points in a 65-55 loss to Texas Tech. But inconsistency has held UNM back, point guard Amy Beggin said.
Despite all the hoarse voices, painted faces and vague threats of violence, it’s about time we all admitted something: Basketball-wise, the Rio Grande Rivalry just isn’t what it used to be. Look no further than Saturday night, when the UNM men’s basketball team dominated the Aggies at The Pit. The 75-58 rout was the Lobos’ seventh straight home victory over NMSU, the longest mark for any UNM squad since the Lobos won 10 straight home contests from 1941-51. And the disparity is unlikely to change.
Roman Martinez walked up The Pit ramp on Saturday with the smile he always wears after a UNM men’s basketball victory.
All Adam Watson wanted for Christmas was his transfer release from the Lobo football team. Until Sunday, Watson’s wish was in jeopardy of not being granted. The former UNM freshman wide receiver, who redshirted this year, was earlier reported to be transferring to play football at another school.
Let it ride! Essentially, the UNM men’s basketball team is playing roulette — whether Russian in nature, Saturday might tell — and the stakes are high. Potentially, the Lobos (7-0 overall) could parlay their early success into a spot in the top 25. With that said, Saturday’s game against New Mexico State, for which only 400 tickets remained available as of 4 p.m.
Solutions by The State News
