Utes slip past New Mexico in double OT

Luke Nevill wasn't about to blow it with 2.4 seconds left in double-overtime after blowing it a few minutes earlier.

Utah's 7-foot-1 center had missed a pair of free throws that could have given the Utes a win in the final minute of the first overtime. With a second chance, Nevill calmly sank two free throws to give the Utes a 93-91 victory over New Mexico on Saturday afternoon at the Huntsman Center.

"I knew I had to knock those down," he said. When asked what happened on the previous two, he said, "I have no idea. Maybe there was dew on the ball or something."

He was smiling when he said it. Of course, all of the Utes were smiling after pulling out the double-overtime victory, following three overtime losses earlier this season, including one against the same Lobos last month in Albuquerque.

"Here's a guy who hadn't practiced in a week. This morning we were trying to figure out if he would play or not," said Ute coach Ray Giacoletti about Nevill, who missed Wednesday's game in Wyoming because of a hip injury. "It's hard to get back in a rhythm again. He stepped up."

The victory was important for the Utes in that it almost assures them of avoiding the play-in game at next week's Mountain West Conference tournament in Las Vegas. They improved to 5-9 in MWC play, while the New Mexico fell to 4-10. The Lobos would have to win their remaining two games and have the Utes lose two to get ahead of the Utes, who hold the tiebreaker edge.

While Giacoletti was happy about the win, saying he was "proud of our guys" for the way they "fought and kept battling back," he said he wasn't thinking about his seeding for next week's tournament.

"It's more important than that," he said. "It's about trying to find your best basketball here at the end."

Offensively the Utes played well as they hit 56 percent from the field, 52.6 percent from 3-point range and put five players in double figures. However, defensively the Utes allowed the Lobos to shoot a season-high 63 percent from 3-point range, while sinking 17 treys, which tied a Huntsman Center record.

"I know it sounds like a broken record, but we've got to get better defensively," Giacoletti said.

Darren Prentice, who came in averaging just 8.1 points per game, exceeded his career high by 10 in scoring 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. He had a chance to win the game or force another overtime after Nevill sank his free throw. He dribbled down and tried to draw a foul near the top of the key but never got a shot up.