Saturday, November 14
Albuquerque, NM
6:00 PM
UC Riverside
51
at
67
New Mexico
Photo by: Bobby R. Hester, (c) 2009
Men's Basketball Drops Season Opener At New Mexico, 67-51
11/14/2009 6:30:05 PM | Men's Basketball
New Mexico 67, UC Riverside 51
The New Mexico Lobos used a 27-9 run midway through the first half to open up an 18-point lead that they would never relinquish as they spoiled the UC Riverside men's basketball team's season opener, 67-51. Konner Veteto (pictured) grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds in the loss as UCR out-boarded the Lobos 43-33.
The teams were tied at eight following a Larry Gurganious jumper at the 15:28 mark, but New Mexico scored 27 of the next 36 points over a nine-minute stretch to take a 35-17 lead with 4:07 remaining. UCR scored the next five points coming out of the media timeout, but he Lobos countered by scoring the final four of the half to take a 17-point lead into the locker room.
The Highlanders had trouble defending the Lobos in the first as New Mexico connected on 6 of 13 (46.2%) from beyond the arc and 10 of 18 (55.6%) from two-point range. Darington Hobson and Roman Martinez paced New Mexico offensively in the first 20 minutes of play as they each scored 10 points. Kyle Austin and Sean Cunningham led UCR in the first with six points apiece but the team as a whole made just 36.0 percent of its field goal attempts.
The Highlanders' defense picked up in the second half as they held new Mexico to 38.7 percent shooting and just 2 of 9 from three-point range, but UCR's own offensive struggles continued and they were unable to make up any ground. The Lobos' lead fluctuated between 15 and 23 points in the final 20 minutes of play.
Sean Cunningham led the Highlanders with 11 points, while Austin and newcomer Dwight Gordon scored eight apiece. Martinez led all scorers with 18 points while Darington (16 points) and A.J. Hardeman (14) joined him in double figures.
Next up for the Highlanders is a Tuesday evening trip the Gaelen Center in Los Angeles where they will face off against the USC Trojans at 7 pm PT.
GAME NOTES
The Highlanders are 0-9 in season openers since making the transition to Division I for the 2001-02 season. UCR has lost 10 season openers overall with their last win to start a campaign coming on November 19, 1999 in a 77-51 home win over Dominican College. That was also the last time the Highlanders began a season at home.
Konner Veteto grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds. His previous high was 11 at Cal Poly on March 7, 2009.
Sean Cunningham's 11 points matched his season high from a year ago which he posted vs. UC Santa Barbara on January 4, 2009. That was also the last rime, Cunningham drained two three-pointers in a game. The last time he scored more than 11 points was on March 8, 2008 when he matched his career high with 22 points vs. UC Davis.
The Lobos held Kyle Austin to just eight points. That is just the fourth time in 24 games in a UCR uniform that Austin has been held in single digits.
The New Mexico Lobos used a 27-9 run midway through the first half to open up an 18-point lead that they would never relinquish as they spoiled the UC Riverside men's basketball team's season opener, 67-51. Konner Veteto (pictured) grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds in the loss as UCR out-boarded the Lobos 43-33.
The teams were tied at eight following a Larry Gurganious jumper at the 15:28 mark, but New Mexico scored 27 of the next 36 points over a nine-minute stretch to take a 35-17 lead with 4:07 remaining. UCR scored the next five points coming out of the media timeout, but he Lobos countered by scoring the final four of the half to take a 17-point lead into the locker room.
The Highlanders had trouble defending the Lobos in the first as New Mexico connected on 6 of 13 (46.2%) from beyond the arc and 10 of 18 (55.6%) from two-point range. Darington Hobson and Roman Martinez paced New Mexico offensively in the first 20 minutes of play as they each scored 10 points. Kyle Austin and Sean Cunningham led UCR in the first with six points apiece but the team as a whole made just 36.0 percent of its field goal attempts.
The Highlanders' defense picked up in the second half as they held new Mexico to 38.7 percent shooting and just 2 of 9 from three-point range, but UCR's own offensive struggles continued and they were unable to make up any ground. The Lobos' lead fluctuated between 15 and 23 points in the final 20 minutes of play.
Sean Cunningham led the Highlanders with 11 points, while Austin and newcomer Dwight Gordon scored eight apiece. Martinez led all scorers with 18 points while Darington (16 points) and A.J. Hardeman (14) joined him in double figures.
Next up for the Highlanders is a Tuesday evening trip the Gaelen Center in Los Angeles where they will face off against the USC Trojans at 7 pm PT.
GAME NOTES
The Highlanders are 0-9 in season openers since making the transition to Division I for the 2001-02 season. UCR has lost 10 season openers overall with their last win to start a campaign coming on November 19, 1999 in a 77-51 home win over Dominican College. That was also the last time the Highlanders began a season at home.
Konner Veteto grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds. His previous high was 11 at Cal Poly on March 7, 2009.
Sean Cunningham's 11 points matched his season high from a year ago which he posted vs. UC Santa Barbara on January 4, 2009. That was also the last rime, Cunningham drained two three-pointers in a game. The last time he scored more than 11 points was on March 8, 2008 when he matched his career high with 22 points vs. UC Davis.
The Lobos held Kyle Austin to just eight points. That is just the fourth time in 24 games in a UCR uniform that Austin has been held in single digits.
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