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.
Some teams exemplify the lion-lamb paradox - a ferocious, competitive beast cloaked in a sheepish, genteel veil. NMSU is not one of those teams. And on Thursday at The Pit, the UNM women's basketball team sheared the Aggies' lambish coats and turned them into pillows on the way to an 80-48 thrashing.
Staff and wire reports CANCUN, Mexico - There was no consolation for UNM, even in a consolation game. After losing to Virginia Commonwealth on Saturday, the Lobos dropped a 68-62 decision to Drake in the consolation round of the Cancun Challenge on Sunday, leaving them 3-4 on the season.
The UNM volleyball team didn't get the fairy-tale ending it was hoping for. But 2008 was a Cinderella season for the ladies in cherry and silver. After picking up their 22nd victory on Saturday against Virginia Commonwealth with a 25-12, 25-18, 25-14 sweep, the Lobos could do little except sit back and cross their fingers Sunday.
Who says global warming is just a theory? What else can explain how the UNM women's basketball team shot a frigid 20 percent from the field in the first half, then suddenly warmed up to shoot 56 percent in the second half against Nebraska? As head coach Don Flanagan said, it was a tale of two halves, with the Lobos heating up enough to beat out the Cornhuskers 62-51 in the final of the Midtown Tournament on Saturday.
Staff Report The UNM women's cross country team closed its season at the NCAA Championship on Tuesday in Terre Haute, Ind. Nicky Archer placed 56th with a season-best time of 20:53. UNM finished in 18th place. Washington captured the title with a score of 79 points.
If the UNM women's basketball team wants its head coach to develop an anxiety disorder, the Lobos will continue to squeeze out wins. The Lobos pulled out an 84-70 victory overUtah Valley on Wednesday at The Pit, but, head coach Don Flanagan said he was sweating bullets on the bench while the Lobos were engaged in a battle that teetered back and forth.
Solutions by The State News
