J.R. Giddens, right, shoots over Abilene Christian's Igor Vrzina, left, and Courtnie Ross in the first half. (AP Photo/Jake Schoellkopf)
Men's Basketball Home   HEADLINES Seven MWC Teams Earn Public Recognition Awards For Outstanding Performance in the Classroom New Mexico's J.R. Giddens and BYU's Trent Plaisted Selected in 2008 NBA Draft 2007-08 Mountain West Conference Scholar-Athlete Awards Announced RELATED LINKS • Follow all of the college basketball action at CollegeSports.com • Email this to a friend

Lobos Dominate Abilene Christian to Open Season, 91-54

J.R. Giddens scores 21 points to lead New Mexico.

Nov. 10, 2006

Stats

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - J.R. Giddens scored 21 points and New Mexico commemorated The Pit's 40th season with a 91-54 win Friday over Abilene Christian, the same team the Lobos beat in the first game played in one of college basketball's best known arenas.

New Mexico (1-0) beat Abilene Christian 62-53 in the first Pit game on Dec. 1, 1966. The Lobos opened that season as the No. 6 ranked team in the country. This year's Lobos are nowhere near a Top 25 team yet, but they made quick work of the smaller Wildcats, who scheduled the game as an exhibition.

New Mexico reserve guard Darren Prentice scored 16 points by hitting 6 of 7 shots, including four 3-pointers.

Phillip Brooks scored 13 points for Abilene Christian and Marcos Hubner had 10.

The Lobos built a big lead and had the luxury of putting up 39 3-pointers, second most in school history and most in a non-overtime game. The school record is 42 in a double-overtime loss to New Mexico State in 1993.

The Lobos connected on 16 of the 39 3s.

New Mexico hit 7 of its first 9 shots to take a 15-3 lead. Tony Danridge, the only returning starter from last season, kicked off an 8-0 run to start the game with a short jumper. The run also included a layup by Jamaal Smith off a steal, a field goal by Giddens and a 15-footer by Danridge.

Abilene Christian - a Division II-A member of the Lone Star Conference - halted the Lobos' run with a 3-pointer from Courtnie Ross, but the Wildcats never led in the game.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Prentice gave New Mexico a 38-19 halftime lead as the Wildcats hit just 7 of 32 shots.

Six minutes into the second half, Chad Toppert hit a 3-pointer for the Lobos and Giddens followed with a two-handed slam dunk that brought a thunderous roar from the partisan crowd of more than 15,000 and gave the Lobos a 55-25 lead.

New Mexico has never lost to Abilene Christian in eight meetings. This was the first game between the two since 1974.