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NCAA Tournament Recap (New Mexico-Missouri)
Posted: Fri March 12, 1999 at 1:54 a.m EST DENVER (Ticker) -- Lamont Long's short jumper in the lane with five seconds left lifted ninth-seeded New Mexico to a thrilling 61-59 victory over Missouri in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in the West Region. After Keyon Dooling missed a fast-break layup with 34 seconds left that would have put Missouri on top, New Mexico coach Dave Bliss called a timeout and put the ball into the hands of Long, the best offensive option for the Lobos after star forward Kenny Thomas had picked up his fifth foul moments earlier. Long drove towards the left side, got 6-11 center Monte Hardge to leave his feet, and released the ball while he was on his way down. After the basket, Missouri quickly hurried upcourt, but Brian Grawer's desperation jumper was partially blocked by Damion Walker and the Lobos celebrated their victory. "I did it about a week ago to win a game in our conference tournament and I just did it again," Long said. "I was just trying to get fouled and I didn't so I threw up one of those shots and it just went it." "There's really nothing clever about it, just give the ball to Lamont and let him make a basket," Lobos coach Dave Bliss said. Thomas accumulated 20 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots for New Mexico (25-8), which will play top-seeded Connecticut in the second round Saturday. "He (Thomas) played pretty much this evening as he's played the entire season," Bliss added. The Lobos won their first-round contest for the fourth straight year but have not reached the regional semifinals since 1974. Albert White scored 16 points while grabbing 12 rebounds for Missouri (20-9), which has not made it past the second round of the NCAA Tournament since advancing to the regional final in 1994. "New Mexico played very well with maybe the exception of three or four minutes of the ballgame," said Missouri coach Norm Stewart. "We obviously didn't play one of our better ballgames. That doesn't detract from their win." The Tigers also lost their second consecutive NCAA Tournament game in the final seconds. Missouri was making its return to the "Big Dance" for the first time since 1995, when Tyus Edney ran the length of the court to give UCLA a stunning second-round victory over Norm Stewart's Tigers. Two free throws by White with 2:09 remaining brought Missouri within three points before Thomas pushed the lead back to 59-54 with a pair from the line. A three-point play by Hardge brought Missouri within two points, and the Tigers watched Thomas depart moments later when he was called for an offensive foul while setting a pick on Dooley. Dooley hit a pair of free throws with 1:31 to play and the teams traded misses over the next minute as Kevin Henry misfired on a 3-pointer and Dooley failed to convert after a turnover by New Mexico. The Lobos grabbed the rebound following Dooley's miss and were able to celebrate a victory thanks to Long, who had 17 points and 12 rebounds. Henry contributed 11 points for New Mexico, which shot 36 percent (22-of-61) and was 6-of-21 from beyond the arc. John Robinson dished out six assists for the Lobos. "I know these guys (Missouri) haven't had as much experience as our guys and I know that plays a big role because of time and other situations," Henry said. "I think that our experience was a big plus for us tonight." John Woods netted 11 points and Hardge added 10 while pulling down eight rebounds for the Tigers, who connected on a miserable 33 percent (24-of-72) and made 4-of-17 3-pointers. "It was a tough loss," White said. "Even though we didn't play as well, I think we fought hard. We should have won. There's a lot for us to learn from this game. We just have to work hard in the offseason and work on things we didn't do right and try to improve on them." The teams battled to a 45-45 deadlock on the boards, but New Mexico went 11-of-16 from the foul line while the Tigers attempted just nine foul shots, making seven. This was the first-ever meeting between the schools.© 2000 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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