Recap: New Mexico vs. Fresno State
Albuquerque, NM (Sports Network) - Alex Kirk posted game highs with 19 points and 14 rebounds to lead No. 25 New Mexico to a 72-45 win over Fresno State at The Pit on Saturday.
Tony Snell and Cameron Bairstow added 16 points and five boards apiece for the Lobos (15-2, 2-0 MWC), who improved to 9-1 at home this season.
"We thought we could hurt them inside," said New Mexico coach Steve Alford. "We got bigs. Cam and Alex are just getting better and better and better. They are just playing at a really high level. Those guys are very talented."
Marvelle Harris scored 11 points and Robert Upshaw added nine for the Bulldogs (6-9, 0-2), who have dropped two in a row and six of their last seven.
New Mexico raced out to a 17-8 lead early in the first half, but Fresno State was able to cut it to 17-14 following a Kevin Olekaibe 3-pointer at the 11:13 mark.
The Lobos scored the next six points for a 23-14 advantage, but the Bulldogs responded with a 6-0 swing of their own to make it 23-20 with just over six minutes remaining in the half.
New Mexico closed the first half on a 16-2 surge to take a 39-22 lead into the break.
The Lobos kept their foot on the gas in the early parts of the second, pushing its spread to 46-23.
Harris, though, ended the drought with a triple and an Upshaw jumper with 12 1/2 minutes left made it a 51-32 game.
The teams traded buckets until a pair of Snell free throws with 2:41 left sparked a 10-1 run than accounted for the final margin.
Game NotesThe Lobos shot 49.2 percent (29-for-59) from the floor and held the Bulldogs
to 33.3 percent (16-for-48) shooting ... Jamal Fenton scored nine points and
pulled down six rebounds off the bench for New Mexico ... Both teams struggled
from 3-point range. The Lobos went just 2-for-12 from behind the arc and
Fresno State finished 5-for-20 from downtown ... New Mexico owns a 9-7
advantage in the all-time series.
