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With a raucous crowd pushing The Pit's decibel level and ex-Lobo Danny Granger sitting courtside with a diamond-studded "33" dangling from his neck, UNM blew open a close game with an all-phases-covered 19-0 run to start the second half. Having dropped a huge lead in the final minute when they played at TCU earlier this season, the Lobos got revenge by a 64-48 final score for the team's 20th win this season.

As February grows closer to March, it's getting fun to be a Lobo.

"It's hard not to find a lot of good things to say about this team," head coach Steve Alford said. "This puts us into a position to have a lot of fun over the next three-to-four weeks."

At 20-6, the Lobos are 7-4 in the Mountain West Conference - third place, behind BYU and UNLV.

The run that broke a three-point halftime lead into a gaping 22-point edge saw Steve Alford pumping his fist and punching into his palms with angry excitement. UNM hit its shots at one end and forced turnovers at the other.

It started with freshman Jonathan Wills nailing three foul shots after being hit behind the line.

With crowd crowing louder by the second, J.R. Giddens ripped the nets on a long jumper, Roman Martinez hit a 3, Daniel Faris crashed the boards hard for putbacks, and Wills hit another 3. Each shot brought louder cheers.

"We got very hyped from that," Giddens said of fans at The Pit (announced attendance Saturday was 16,385). "We could really feel the intensity from the crowd."

By the time the Horned Frogs collected themselves, dampened the volume and started chipping away with buckets to halt the Lobos' blistering momentum, the game was out of reach.

J.R. Giddens scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead all players in both categories.

Defense was the difference. The Lobos forced 23 turnovers while committing only 12. TCU's leading scorer, forward Kevin Langford, managed four points and didn't hit a field goal. The Frogs' top scorer on Saturday was Henry Salter with 13 (the only TCU player in double figures) and he fought for each point, shooting four-for-11 on the night.

Alford wouldn't let up on his players as the game wound down. "Get matched up!" he screamed at Giddens and freshman point guard Dairese Gary - spit flying onto Bob King Court - when the lead had been "cut" to 14 with six minutes left. Their next trip down, UNM forced a tough jumper, nabbed the rebound and ran to the other end of the court, where Smith and Martinez worked a two-man game along the baseline for an easy layup.

"We do a good job with our man-to-man, especially in this building," Alford said of the defense.

And when the Lobos needed a scorer in the first half, having notched four points in the first five minutes, Giddens ripped off seven straight - including a spinning layup and a long jumper - to tie the game at 11 halfway through the first.

"He's our go-to guy," Alford said of his Giddens. "That's what seniors and great players have to do for you. He's both of those things."

Giddens' last play, before being subbed out, was a two-handed dunk - wide open after freezing his defender with a fake along the baseline.

The crowd went nuts.

Local standout commits: Highland High swingman Chad Adams verbally committed to play for UNM.

Adams, a 6-foot-4 junior, made the non-binding decision Saturday night, said his coach, Danny Brown.

As a junior Adams earned second-team All-State honors. He averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds per game. Adams has put up similar numbers this season for the 22-2 Hornets, one of Class 5A's top teams.

Adams had garnered interest from several other Division I schools. Marquette had offered him a scholarship.