NEW MEXICO-WASHINGTON GAME NOTES | OFF-DAY PRESS CONFERENCE

March 18, 2010

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NCAA East Regional -- San Jose, Calif.
Thursday: Lobos 62, Montana 57
Up Next: Lobos vs. Washington, Saturday

By Richard Stevens -- Senior Writer/GoLobos.com

It wasn't easy. It definitely wasn't pretty. But once again the New Mexico Lobos found a way to win a game and extend their special season.

This time the 62-57 win over Montana was a do-or-die thing, an NCAA thing with no tomorrows for teams that don't find a way or a win. Or who maybe don't have a Dairese Gary to take over things down the stretch while slapping the big "D" on the other team's top scorer.

Montana's Anthony Johnson scored 42 points in his last outing before running into UNM's defensive bulldog. He scored one field goal facing the tenacity of Gary. UNM's junior also got a huge strip and steal off Johnson in the game's final moments as Montana was looking to make a final run.

UNM was up 59-56 inside the final minute of play when Johnson pulled up to shoot an 8-foot jumper. Gary reached out a big left hand and pulled the ball away and into the hands of UNM's A.J. Hardeman. UNM used the free throw to cruise to the five-point win. Johnson finished the game 1-of-12 from the field.

The Lobos, now 30-4, climbed out of a small, one-point halftime hole to claw past the Montana Grizzlies and into the NCAA East Regional's second round. It's one down and one more to go in the 2010 Lobos' quest to be the first ever Lobo team to play in the NCAA Sweet 16.

Darington Hobson In first-half pain

"We had a lack of urgency in the first half," said UNM senior Roman Martinez, who finished with 19 points. Gary bulldozed for 15 points and went 10-of-15 from the line. Darington Hobson, playing with an injured wrist, still had a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards.

Montana threatened to attack UNM inside and did it well with the 6-foot-11 Brian Qvale, who led all scorers with 26 points. He also had 13 boards. He went 12-of-16 from the floor and was the only Griz to reach double figures. Johnson had six points on one field goal. Montana won the board battle 62-57.

"Our guys did a really good job in the second half to make enough plays to get a win," said Lobo coach Steve Alford.

The Lobos' path to the Syracuse N.Y, Sweet 16 is now blocked by a lean Washington Huskies team on an eight-game winning streak.

The Huskies pushed their way into the NCAA off a strong late-season run and stayed hot in their 80-78 win over the No. 6 seed Marquette. Washington scratched out the first-round East Regional win in San Jose when senior Quincy Pondexter drove the lane and touched a game-winner off the glass with 1.7 seconds to play.

It was the Huskies' eighth straight win and quite a dramatic one as they fought out of a 15-point hole with more than 13 minutes left. Pondexter also had 11 rebounds for the winners. It was a good win for the Pac-10, which had only two teams called up for the NCAA Dance: Washington and Cal-Berkeley.

It also was a good win for the Lobos, who join Brigham Young as Mountain West teams who survived to find another dance in March Madness. San Diego State and UNLV lost in the first round.

Lobo Dairese Gary On Power Drive

The Lobos came out of a sluggish first half and showed some quick energy and more movement. A baseline trey by McDonald pushed UNM up 36-32 and Montana called a timeout.

The first-half tempo that favored the Grizzlies was moving toward a Lobo pace. The Grizs also were having trouble getting the ball inside.

The Lobos came out of that break and got an A.J. Hardeman tip to go up 38-32. A Hobson-led break led to a McDonald layup: 40-32. The Lobos were on a run.

The Grizzlies did a good job hanging around and battling back. Montana was down only 47-43 when a Hobson drive and pass led to a Martinez trey off the baseline. UNM was up 50-43. Montana didn't go away. A Griz trey cut UNM's lead to 53-50 with 4:38 to play.

Montana then cut it to 53-52 before Gary hit two free throws to up UNM into a 55-52 lead. UNM's Hobson missed the front end of a one-and-one and Montana's Johnson, still with no field goal, went to the line with 2:27 to play. The senior hit two and UNM was up 55-54.

Gary drove for UNM, got fouled and hit two: 57-54. Johnson then hit his first field goal of the game -- a two-pointer on the baseline that made it 57-56. Gary was back at the line with 1:22 to go. The junior made two: 59-56.

Johnson threw a step-back move on Gary at the other end. Gary stripped the ball away and the Griz was eyeing a short jumper. UNM had the ball with 48.3 seconds to play and a three-point lead.

At the 42.4 mark, Gary was back at the line trying to turn the game back into a two possession affair. He made one: 60-56. Montana got a single free throw with 22.4 seconds to go: 60-57.

Montana fouled Gary on the in-bounds play with no time moving off the clock. Gary missed them both. Montana's Cherry got a decent look at a running layup and missed. Martinez got the board with 13.5 seconds to go. The senior banged down both free throws and UNM was up 62-57.

Montana threw up a couple of late treys. They didn't fall. The Lobos advanced.

First Half -- Montana 29, Lobos 28

A bad half for the Lobos on the floor, in the paint, and on the boards, really wasn't that bad on the scoreboard. UNM walked into the locker room down 29-28. It could have been worse.

Montana hinted before the game that it would try to exploit the Lobos' size inside. The Griz's first hoop came on a lob to center Brian Qvale. It was a pattern the Grizzlies stayed with most of the half. The 6-11 Griz finished the half with 17 points, going 8-of-11 from the floor.

Qvale was the bad news, the bad bear, for the Lobos inside. The good news was Johnson, their top scorer, went 0-of-8 from the floor in the first half.

The Big Sky champions also did a good job in controlling the tempo and the boards. The Lobos never got a transition game going and Montana won the board battle 23-15. UNM's Martinez kept the Lobos in the game with 12 points, going 5-of-10 from the field. Hobson, battered and bruised in the first half, had a quiet five points and two boards. Hardeman and Brown combined for only three boards against the bigger, taller Montana posts.

The Lobos controlled the scoreboard early in the half. At the 15:24 media break, UNM was up 8-7. Will Brown gave UNM a 10-8 lead, touching a layup off the glass off an assist from Hobson. A Martinez trey on the right wing gave UNM a 16-13 lead.

Montana then went to work inside again and powered to a 22-17 lead. UNM's Gary cut that lead to 23-21 on two layups. Martinez tied the game at 23-all following his own miss and flipping in a short runner. A Martinez follow and a Martinez trey helped the Lobos into their one-point gap at the half.

The Lobos shot 37.9 percent from the floor in the first half and Montana shot 44 percent. UNM went 3-of-9 from the line.

Lobos Men's Basketball

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