New Mexico Ousts No. 7 Arizona
New Mexico climbed out of a big hole in The Pit.
The 16th-ranked Lobos overcame a 15-point halftime deficit and beat No. 7 Arizona 79-78 Saturday night on Damion Walker's layup at the buzzer.
"I knew it was good. I knew I won the game," Walker said. "Those are the moments you live or."
New Mexico (16-2) trailed 43-28 at halftime, but Walker and Lamont Long led a rally that gave the Lobos their 40th straight home victory against non-conference opponents.
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"Quite frankly we were just trying to save face and all of a sudden we were back in it," said New Mexico coach Dave Bliss. "Lamont just put the team on his back and carried it."
Long scored 20 of his 22 points in the final 20 minutes and Walker bulled his way for 17 second-half points, including the soft layup that was in the air as the buzzer sounded.
Arizona guard Jason Terry, who finished with 23 points, gave the Wildcats (12-2) a 78-77 lead with a 12-foot jumper in the lane with 4.6 seconds left.
New Mexico guard John Robinson then took the inbound pass, dribbled to the top of the key and fired a pass to Walker underneath. Walker, who had missed a point-blank layup with 1:37 left and the Lobos clinging to a 75-72 lead, banked in the winner even though Arizona's Michael Wright said he got a hand on the shot.
"We had a timeout left, but I wasn't about to use it," Bliss said. "You just go as fast as you can, get it to somebody and throw up a prayer. We couldn't have asked for a better shot."
Arizona coach Lute Olson left with a loss in his 500th game as the Wildcats' coach and with a parting shot for the officials.
Long ans Walker scored 22 of New Mexico's first 24 points in the second half and the Lobos used an 18-6 run to get back in t. Walker scored 10 points in that run, pounding his way inside for layups or trips to the foul line.
Long was equally effective with his speed and drives to the basket. He consistently beat Terry to bank in a variety of shots. A 5-foot jumper by New Mexico's Roland Hannah tied it at 57-57, and Long gave New Mexico its first lead since the game's opening minute with a 3-pointer with 10:08 left.
Arizona, led by Wright's 13 points and 12 rebounds, manhandled New Mexico in the first half and appeared ready to stage a rare blowout of the Lobos on their home court.
The Wildcats dominated the offensive boards and kept converting the second-chances into points. By halftime, Arizona had 11 offensive rebounds and a 29-11 overall edge on the boards.
Wright finished with 17 rebounds and Arizona finished with 21 offensive boards. However, it wasn't enough to keep New Mexico from its biggest victory over the Wildcats since upsetting No. 1 Arizona on the same court in 1988.
The win over the Wildcats marked the third big comeback by New Mexico this season. The Lobos overcame a 15-point first-half deficit to beat DePaul 82-81 and came from 18 down to defeat Texas-Pan American 101-94.
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