Dec. 29, 2005
Final Stats
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Sophomore Jermaine Griffin tallied a game-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds but that wasn't enough as Texas-Arlington fell to tournament-host New Mexico, 63-51, in the championship game of the 41st annual Comcast Lobo Invitational Thursday evening at The Pit.
Down 48-34 with just over nine minutes remaining, Thomas stole a Lobo pass and fed Long who returned it to him for the breakaway alley-oop. After the Mavericks (7-6) got a defensive stop, the 6-5 forward added another free throw to cut the lead to 48-37.
New Mexico (9-4) answered as Kersten hit a runner in the lane with the shot clock expiring to put the Lobos ahead, 50-37.
Texas-Arlington then proceeded to go on a 12-4 run over the next four minutes to cut the lead to 54-49, with 4:23 remaining in the game. Howell had two steals, two free throws and capped off the run with a trey from the top of the key.
The Lobos went on a 6-0 run which included a layup by David Chiotti capped off the scoring and gave New Mexico a commanding 60-49 lead.
Griffin was named to the all-tournament team for his performance, along with senior Jarrett Howell who finished with 16 points and four steals. Sophomore Larry Posey contributed eight points and a team-high nine rebounds off of the bench.
New Mexico placed four players in double-figures with Kersten leading the way with 16 points, while David Chiotti added 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Point guard Kris Collins dished out a game-high seven assists.
New Mexico opened the game on a 7-2 run keyed by a layups from Kersten and Dandridge, and a three-pointer from Chiotti. The Lobos also held the Mavericks to 1-of-6 shooting to take the five-point lead with 14:26 left in the first half.
A steal and three-pointer by Kersten increased the Lobo lead to 20-8, at the 7:35 mark. Hart came off the bench to hit and three and Prochaska added a layup.
Texas-Arlington cut the Lobo lead to 26-17 at the break with some inspiring play from Howell. The 5-11 guard continually attack the basket against a big New Mexico frontline and came away with eight first-half points.
Both teams struggled shooting the ball, with Texas-Arlington shooting a dismal 27 percent and the Lobos at 33 percent themselves.
The Mavericks will be back in action Thursday when they open up Southland Conference play with preseason favorite Northwestern State. The Demons knocked Texas-Arlington out of the conference tournament last season in the quarterfinals. Tip-off at Texas Hall is set for 7:05 p.m.
