A new era of UNM baseball begins this season as first-year head coach Ray Birmingham tries to duplicate some of the success he had in the southern part of the state. Birmingham - who spent his last 18 seasons at New Mexico Junior College - replaces Rich Alday, who stepped down after 18 years at UNM.
The UNM women's basketball team once again relied on a stout defense in a 40-79 victory at The Pit on Wednesday. The Lobos' discipline on defense was key to holding the Falcons offense in check, head coach Don Flanagan said. "Obviously, we defended pretty well," he said.
The UNM men's basketball team notched its fourth-straight conference win after toppling TCU 64-48 on Saturday at The Pit. The win puts the Lobos in third place in the Mountain West Conference standings. They improved to 20-6 overall and 7-4 in the conference.
The UNM men's basketball team struggled from the free-throw line and wasn't as lethal as usual from 3-point range. So, in Saturday's 64-48 win over TCU, the Lobos clamped down on defense, leading to their fourt h straight double-digit victory. UNM freshman guard Jonathan Wills said the defense wanted to set a tone, especially after a close first half.
Before Lee Emanuel transferred to UNM, everything he knew about Albuquerque came from Internet research and word of mouth. Since moving from England to New Mexico, the junior distance runner said he quickly grew a fondness for his sport's culture and the people in the state.
If the UNM women's basketball team's previous meeting with TCU is any indication, the Lobos are in for a battle Sunday. UNM dropped a 57-54 heartbreaker to TCU in The Pit on Jan. 15. "It was such a close game," senior forward Dionne Marsh said. "They came out and beat us in the first half pretty bad, and we were unable to recover.
In a tenure that started with controversy and coaching changes, UNM Athletics Director Paul Krebs had some positive news Thursday. The UNM athletics program will receive its biggest financial boost from a single sponsor, the University announced. Route 66 Casino Hotel will contribute $2.
Men's basketball The UNM men's basketball team is riding a wave of momentum heading into Saturday's contest with TCU at The Pit. The Lobos have won three straight conference matchups. UNM is coming off of a 73-63 road win over San Diego State on Wednesday.
The UNM men's basketball team has its work cut out for it with three of its next four games being on the road. But if the Lobos play anything like they did in consecutive blowout wins, they can quickly make up a lot of ground in the Mountain West Conference.
In his final year of NCAA eligibility, Max Jones has something to prove for the UNM men's tennis team. And by starting the year off with an 8-3 record and a No. 35 national ranking in singles, Jones is making the most of his senior season. "To be ranked at all in the NCAA rankings is an achievement," head coach Alan Dils said.
From Eastern Europe to the New Mexico desert, sophomore Sandra Zmak has made the transition with flying colors. Last season, Zmak posted a 22-11 record in singles and earned All-Mountain West Conference honors in singles and doubles as a freshman. "This biggest change for me, coming from Croatia, was the change in court surface," Zmak said.
J.R. Giddens had the best game of his career Saturday, and it was the best individual performance fans at The Pit have seen in some time. Perhaps the most impressive thing about the senior guard's performance was that he was unselfish and didn't disrupt the team game, UNM head coach Steve Alford said.
UNM forced Wyoming to commit costly errors en route to a 45-point win Saturday at The Pit. The Lobos scored 38 points off of Wyoming's 23 turnovers and won 100-55. UNM head coach Steve Alford said Saturday's performance was as good as it gets. "Needless to say, I don't know if we can play much better," he said.
Track and Field Distance runner Lee Emanuel had a standout race Friday, breaking the UNM record for the men's mile, clocking a time of 4:02.47. Emanuel broke a 24-year-old record set by Ibrahim Hussein by 1.74 seconds. Emanuel - a junior transfer from Hastings, England - finished eighth overall and sixth among college runners at Notre Dame's Meyo Invitational.
If this year's recruiting class is any indication, the UNM football team will be more able to add to its roster from anywhere throughout the country. The Lobos announced Wednesday their 2008 signing class, which is made up of 22 players from 10 states. UNM head coach Rocky Long said he was pleased to grab players from around the country.
The last time the UNM men's basketball team took on Wyoming, it took 99 points and an overtime for the Lobos to come out with a win. And the way UNM head coach Steve Alford sees it, the Cowboys are clicking even more on offense. "They're a lot better," he said.
The UNM soccer team announced Wednesday the signing of 11 student-athletes. Topping the recruitment class are two All-Americans, an Elite Soccer Program all-star and a transfer from NCAA Champion Wake Forest. Michael Green, a National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American and member of the ESP all-star team, is a top prospect for the Lobos next season.
During its three-game home losing streak, the UNM women's basketball team's biggest woes came on offense. So naturally, the Lobos ended that skid by threatening the century mark in Saturday's 94-64 win over UNLV at The Pit. UNM head coach Don Flanagan said he spent a good deal of practice tweaking the offense last week.
Senior Dionne Marsh is adjusting to her newfound leadership role on the UNM women's basketball team. Marsh leads the Lobos on the court with a team-high 14.4 points and 5.6 free throws per game. She also averages 5.8 rebounds in 30.9 minutes per game this season.
During practice this week, head coach Don Flanagan stressed one thing to the UNM women's basketball team: offense. After putting up just 38 points in a home loss to BYU last week, Flanagan said he wanted to make it clear that kind of performance can't happen again.
Solutions by The State News
