ALBUQUERQUE—Chad Toppert came off the bench to score a fistful of 3-pointers, leading New Mexico to a 91-51 rout Tuesday over Colorado State in Mountain West Conference play.
From the opening tip to the final buzzer, the Lobos (17-6, 4-4) dominated CSU (6-16, 0-8) with sharp shooting and relentless defense.
“I felt the start of the game was crucial,” Lobos coach Steve Alford said. “We really got busted up in the last two games on the road. I was concerned with our mind set in the beginning.”
New Mexico had lost its previous two games by 17 and 19 points to BYU and UNLV, respectively. The Rams have lost nine in a row.
New Mexico had connected on 10 of 13 3-pointers midway through the second half and finished 12-for-20 overall from beyond the 3-point arc. The Lobos shot 54.2 percent from the field for the game, while Colorado State hit just 17 of 50 attempts.
“We had 40 minutes of really solid man-to-man defense,” Alford said.
Toppert led the Lobos with a career-high 22 points, going 5-for-9 from 3-point range. Six of his teammates contributed with at least one 3-pointer.
“I felt pretty comfortable,” Toppert said. “I got more relaxed and more confident watching the first four minutes and seeing how it goes. I was able to relax and find my spots.”
J.R. Giddens added 19 points for the Lobos, while conference scoring leader Marcus Walker led the Rams with 11 points.
The Lobos opened with a 7-0 run, holding CSU scoreless for the first 3 minutes. New Mexico quickly extended the lead to 21-8 and led by double-digits for the rest of the game.
By the break, the Lobos were ahead 50-24. Toppert hit two 3-pointers in the final 1:15 of the first half as part of a 16-4 run leading to the break. It equaled the Lobos’ largest halftime lead of the season.
New Mexico’s Dairese Gary opened the second half with consecutive 3-pointers to spark a 15-0 surge that resulted in a 65-24 lead. The Rams didn’t find the basket until 6:25 had passed in the second half.
“I thought our guys did a great job of coming out at the half,” Alford said. “At the first media time out, it was a 12-0 run. That makes it really difficult on the opponent.”
The Lobos took their biggest lead at 89-43 with 3:03 left.
CSU coach Tim Miles said his youthful group couldn’t handle the pressure and the atmosphere in The Pit.
“We’re a young group and we don’t have a lot of experience,” he said. “It put them in a difficult environment. When they get flustered, they clam up and shut down. … You become an individual out there. We’re not good enough to compete like that.”
