Roman Martinez was one of the most beloved Lobos in The Pit on Saturday. "Ro Martinez, Ro Martinez," Section 26 chanted incessantly. Against the Ole Miss defense, Martinez helped UNM improve to 6-4 with a 103-70 victory over the Rebels. For the second straight game, the junior forward from El Paso, Texas, had a standout effort for the UNM men's basketball team.
Sleigh bells rang, and more than 17,000 fans at The Pit were listening Tuesday. Through the lane, Tony Danridge was whistling past NMSU defenders and helping elevate the UNM men's basketball team to a 76-62 win over the Aggies. Danridge torched the Aggies for 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting.
It was a coming-out party for UNM senior and starting forward Tony Dandridge Wednesday at The Pit. After being questioned about his leadership ability over the course of the first 10 games for the Lobos, Danridge shined and showed the kind of leader he can be for the young UNM men's basketball team.
Oral Roberts' Robert Jarvis was dialing in from long distance all night, but when the Golden Eagles needed him the most, the line went dead - and the UNM men's basketball team got away 66-63 after being down as much as 15, marking the Lobos' second-largest comeback in The Pit.
LAS CRUCES - What a game, what a shot and what a comeback. After leading most of the game, the Lobos found themselves down with less than one minute to go against in-state rival NMSU in Las Cruces on Tuesday night. But senior Daniel Faris ended his career against the Aggies the way any Lobo would want to: hitting a shot to win the game.
Chad Toppert knows all too well. "It's completely different playing the Aggies in Las Cruces than playing the Aggies in The Pit," he said. Case in point: The last time UNM won down south was in 2004, when the Lobos coasted to a 84-66 victory. Since then, the Lobos are 0-3 in Las Cruces, including last year's 71-62 loss.
In Las Vegas, why wouldn't the dice tell the story? For craps players, what are the two numbers you don't want to see on the come-out roll? Two and 12, of course ? which, by the way, is UNM's record at the Thomas and Mack Center. "We know this is going to be monumental task," head coach Steve Alford said.
It was the "Hustle and Flow" show at The Pit on Tuesday against in-state rival NMSU, but there was no Terrence Howard. Instead, the two star performers were Roman Martinez and Tony Danridge. Martinez said Danridge's flow - that high-flying energy Danridge brings to the table - sends The Pit into a frenzy.
LAS CRUCES ? Easy come, easy go. It took six games into the season for NMSU to lose at home ? and four years for the UNM men's basketball team to sweep the season series. Now it's over. On Tuesday, for the first time since 2004, the Lobos beat the Aggies, 68-66, at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces.
Arguments are formulated by points - whatever the size. And points, in this case, seem to be a feasible argument. In the UNM men's basketball team's six losses, Tony Danridge has averaged 10.7 points, and was held to single-digit scoring against VCU and Drake.
It wasn't the prettiest win, but the UNM women's basketball team pulled away in the second half to improve to 8-1 with a 63-54 win over Big 12 foe Texas Tech on Saturday. The Lobos came out hot and stormed to a 9-0 lead with 15:16 left in the first half, but the Red Raiders stormed back with a 10-0 run to take a 10-9 lead with 9:40 to go.
Jaded, or perhaps just unimpressed by Ole Miss' David Huertas and Chris Warren, students in Section 26 of The Pit let the two know what they thought of the tandem during pre-game introductions on Saturday. "Who's that?" the bunch chanted, nonchalantly reading newspapers.
One thing is certain: UNM's new head football coach Mike Locksley likes his bright red jacket. "I look good in red - oh, cherry. I look good in cherry," he said. "I don't want to make that mistake." UNM introduced Locksley, former Illinois offensive coordinator, as head football coach in SUB Ballroom C on Tuesday.
Despite averaging 14.5 turnovers per game, the UNM women's basketball team hasn't had many games where turnovers were a deciding factor. But on Tuesday at The Pit against North Texas, turnovers nearly cost the Lobos a win, as they barely scraped by 66-63.
The UNM head football coaching position is not only filled - it's a lock. Mike Locksley accepted the head coaching position in front of fans and media in the SUB on Tuesday. And the charismatic coach is winning over UNM students and fans already. "He brings a new excitement because I think he is young and energetic," UNM student Jesse Hathoot said.
It wasn't playing football at Concord High School in Indiana that made Dairese Gary tough on the basketball court - it was in his blood. "It was my family," Gary said. "My two older brothers and my dad - just going at them every day on the court. They beat me up at home, and I think it was them that gave me my toughness.
It's been nearly a month since I've written a column. And I will now take the time to go on an Isaac-is-burning-like-Jim-Rome rant. In particular, I couldn't believe the comments and circumstances that have arisen for two athletes, both of them from New York.
No hugs - let alone handshakes - were shared after the UNM men's basketball team's 60-58 win over Southern Mississippi on Saturday at The Pit. And for that reason, there were almost some hand pounds - of another sort. "I was fired up," head coach Steve Alford said.
What have I learned since the beginning of the holiday season? Well, first off, never tuck a gun into your sweatpants, especially if it is registered in one state and you're carrying it loaded in another state and walking down steps in a nightclub. It just doesn't work out.
Because she's a local talent, Valerie Kast brings the entire Pit to its feet every time she scores for the UNM women's basketball team. Until Thursday, those moments had been scarce, as the junior from Gallup averaged only nine minutes and 3.7 points per game in the Lobos' first seven contests.
Solutions by The State News
