Tony Snell scored a team-high 22 points on 7- of-12 shooting from the field and Hugh Greenwood added 15 points, including a game-tying bucket under one minute remaining in regulation, as No. 19 New Mexico persevered in overtime to defeat Boise State, 79-74 Wednesday night.
Kendall Williams scored 11 points and dished out a game-high six assists, while Alex Kirk contributed 10 points, as the Lobos (16-2, 3-0 MWC) picked up their third straight victory.
"We just got a lot of good play and it wasn't an easy game," New Mexico coach Steve Alford said. "When you go on the road in this league there are going to be a lot of tight ones and we were fortunate to get another one."
Boise State (13-3, 1-1) was led by sophomore Derrick Marks, who registered 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field -- including 2-of-2 from behind the arc -- as the Broncos suffered their first loss since a Dec. 5 non-conference setback at Utah.
After both teams traded blows for most of the first half and a Jeff Elorriaga 3-pointer with 7:04 remaining before the break tied it at 23-23, Boise followed with nine straight points to put them ahead 32-23 with just over four minutes left before halftime.
The Lobos fought back though, and even had a chance to take a one-point lead into halftime, but Snell only made one free-throw attempt and the teams remained tied, 37-37 after 20 minutes.
After Chad Adam's tied the game at 45-45 with 12:01 left, Boise responded with a 7-1 run highlighted by Marks' trey which increased the lead to six. Minutes later however, back-to-back Jamal Fenton 3-pointers gave New Mexico its first lead of the second half, 54-53, with just under 6 1/2 minutes remaining.
Sure enough, Boise State took the lead back on consecutive baskets from Anthony Drmic, but a Williams layup with 1:37 left gave the Lobos a 61-60 edge. Marks struck back with his own answer, a 3-point dagger, giving the home team a two-point lead.
After a New Mexico timeout, Greenwood came up with a huge basket which tied the game at 63 with 55 seconds left. Williams would ultimately get a chance to knock down a jumper for the win, but it missed, and the game went to overtime.
The Lobos made the most of the opportunity, jumping out with an early 8-3 run, capped off by a Snell baseline jumper with 2:28 left in extra time which made it 71-66.
After Mikey Thompson nailed two free-throws, and New Mexico failed to capitalize on its next possession, Marks made it a two-point game, 71-69, by going 1-for-2 from the line. Greenwood thrived under pressure yet again, this time with a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left, giving the visitors a 74-69 lead.
Thompson kept things interesting, as he made two more from the charity stripe and a 3-pointer with one second left to make it 77-74, but five free-throws over the last 15 seconds - three by Snell, two by Williams - helped New Mexico secure the win.
Game Notes
