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Alford's Lobos Roll NM Highlands 98-68 in Exhibition
New Mexico has six Lobos in double figures
Nov. 3, 2009
The New Mexico Lobos broke out of a 39-33 halftime lead with a 13-0 run to start the second half and ran to a 98-68 exhibition win over New Mexico Highlands Tuesday night in The Pit. New Mexico had six players in double figures paced by junior point guard Dairese Gary with 20 points, five assists and one steal. "I knew my versatility would be big for us," said Gary. "Coach got on us a little bit (at half). You know he's a competitor." The Lobos ran ahead by as many as 10 points in the first half before the Cowboys cut their halftime deficit to 39-33. The Lobos quickly pulled away in the second half and the Cowboys never again challenged the Lobos. The Lobos also got double figures from Phillip McDonald with 14, Darington Hobson with 13, Jamal Fenton with 12, and A.J. Hardeman and Roman Martinez with 10 apiece. The Lobos shot 51.7 percent from the floor to 41.3 percent for the visitors from Las Vegas, N.M. Hobson had a solid all-around game adding 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals. Hardeman also put in a good effort under the glass with 10 boards. "I thought our energy was good all night and we did good things at both ends of the floor," said Lobo coach Steve Alford. "The guys made some good adjustments on their own, especially on defense. I thought we had a lot of guys play well tonight."
Gary paced the second-half run early with back-to-back layups which handed UNM a 45-33 lead and had Highlands asking for a timeout. A.J. Hardeman muscled one in underneath to raise UNM's lead to 47-33. Hobson then did his muscle thing underneath and UNM was up 49-33. Martinez got loose on a break and was hammered hard by Highlands' Ledreece Smith. The Cowboy then stood over Martinez with a hard look and was whistled for the technical. Martinez left the line with a 52-33 UNM lead. The Lobos were starting to play loose and relaxed. Highlands was starting to force their offense, and shots. The Cowboys never recovered from UNM's 13-point run to open the second half. When UNM drifted up by 20, 56-36, the Lobos were shooting 70 percent from the floor -- 7-of-10. The Cowboys were 1-of-6 during that span. "If we challenged them on anything at halftime, it was board work," said Alford. " I thought Dairese was a huge key in the second half. I thought Darington was a lot more positive with his energy in the second half and Phillip was very good." The game marked UNM's first live action since The Pit began its $60 million facelift. "I've seen what people have done here to get The Pit ready," said Alford. "I can't say enough on how much I appreciate what is going on here. We also appreciate the fans patience during this transition." |
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