ALBUQUERQUE – Redshirt sophomore guard Christian Hammond turned in his third 20-point scoring effort of the season as Santa Clara men's basketball suffered their second setback of the young season, falling 98-71 to New Mexico at University Arena.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Fouls and turnovers took its toll on the Broncos (8-2) in the opening 20 minutes to help New Mexico jump out to an early 18-point lead. SCU committed nine turnovers and drew 14 fouls in the first half, and the Lobos took full advantage with a 15-for-17 performance at the free throw line.
• New Mexico (7-2) used multiple runs to grab control early. After a Brenton Knapper 3-ball gave Santa Clara 14-12 lead, the Lobos rattled off 12 unanswered to take a 10-point advantage at 26-16. SCU scored five quick points to quiet the spree, but New Mexico punched back in a big way with yet another run, this time to the tune of 11-0, to take their largest lead of the half at 18 at 39-21 with just over four minutes to play in the half.
• Despite the big deficit, Hammond took control and went on a scoring barrage of his own, outscoring the Lobos 13-4 over a three-minute span to cut the deficit back to single digits. Thierry Darlan put the finishing touch on the spree with a second chance layup to cut the deficit to seven at 43-36.  
• New Mexico would hit two more free throws to take a nine-point lead into the locker room at 45-36. The Lobos shot 54 percent from the field while SCU shot 40 percent and was just 4-for-21 from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes.
• The Broncos scored the first seven points of the second half to cut the deficit back to one possession, but New Mexico used yet another run (9-0) to regain control at 56-46.
• Santa Clara found points tough to come by the rest of the way and one final 15-1 run by the Lobos put the game out of reach for good as they pushed to lead up 29 at 85-56 with just over five minutes to play.
• SCU shot 38 percent from the floor and was 10-for-44 from 3-point range. New Mexico connected on 59.6 percent of their shots, by-far the best an opponent has performed against the Bronco Defense this season. They were also 21-of-24 at the charity strip and scored 19 points off 15 Santa Clara turnovers.

NOTABLE NUMBERS:

• Hammond had 16 first-half points and finished with 22 for his second-highest scoring tally of the year. He has scored in double figures in each game this season.
• Allen Graves extended his streak of double figure scoring games to six with a 12-point, six-rebound night.
• Freshman KJ Cochran finished in double figures for the third consecutive game, tallying 10 points.
• Elijah Mahi scored 13 points for his eighth double figure scoring game of the year. He also pulled down a season-high eight rebounds to lead the team.
• Santa Clara trailed at the half for the first time this season.
• The teams tied on the boards with 35 rebounds apiece. SCU has led or tied the rebounding battle in all but one game this season.
• The Broncos continued to fare well on the offensive glass with 18 offensive rebounds.
• Santa Clara knocked down 10 3-pointers for their sixth game with 10 or more.
• SCU's 44 3-point attempts are their second-most in program history (45 at San Diego on Feb. 7, 2004).
• SCU drops to 3-6 all-time against New Mexico.

POSTGAME COMMENTS: UP NEXT:
The Broncos will head to Henderson, Nev. to take on Arizona State in the Jack Jones Classic on Saturday, Dec. 13. Tip is set for 4:00 p.m. PT and will be aired on TNT Sports.