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ALBUQUERQUE — To most of the 14,586 fans in the sold out Pit on Saturday, it appeared the No. 15 University of New Mexico Lobos beat visiting San Diego State 88-86 with a pair of free throws with 2.7 seconds remaining in overtime.

In reality, the win can be traced to three weeks ago when Lobos junior Darington Hobson made a decision.

"I've been staying around after practice for the past three weeks, sometimes with coach (Craig) Neal, sometimes it's with the team managers, because I knew I had to get better at the line to help us win games," said Hobson, whose two free throws in the closing moments sealed the Lobos' seventh-straight win and put them in a three-way tie with BYU and UNLV for first place in the Mountain West Conference.

"I let things bother me too much. If I miss a shot in the game or a free throw, I think about it too much so I've been trying to work on clearing my mind at the line."

Saturday, the 62.9 percent free throw shooter entering the game hit 7 of 9 from the free throw line, scored 29 points (eight in overtime and three on a 55-foot buzzer beater to end the first half), hit a career-high four 3-pointers, grabbed 12 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season, dished out six assists, had zero turnovers and snuck in three steals.

And still, Hobson claims he needed those game-clinching free throws for "redemption."

"I knew I messed up," Hobson said. "I owed it to my team to come up with something there at the end."

When Hobson tipped in his own missed layup with 2 minutes, 9 seconds remaining in the second half, the Lobos (21-3, 7-2 MWC) thought their 70-60 lead would be enough.

SDSU junior point guard D.J. Gay had other ideas.

In the final 2:01 of regulation, Gay hit three 3-pointers and, with the Aztecs down 78-76 with 1.0 seconds showing on the clock, attempted a would-be game winner from the left wing.

The shot didn't fall, but Hobson fouled Gay, sending the 69 percent free throw shooter to the charity stripe for three shots.

Gay, who had a career-high 25 points and hit 6 treys, sank the first and last of his three tries to send the game into overtime.

The foul, and the ensuing overtime, was something that would normally consume Hobson to the point of distraction.

This time, he was able to channel his frustration.

"It wasn't just those free throws at the end," Hobson said. "That whole overtime, I couldn't stop thinking about it (the foul) and how I had to make it up to my team."

According to his coach, Hobson more than made up for it.

"He had one of those special nights that special players have," Steve Alford, UNM head coach, said. "He is very, very gifted."

Alford's counterpart, SDSU head coach Steve Fischer, was in no mood to join a post-game press conference. But when a reporter chased him down by the team bus, he acknowledged Hobson was the difference in the game.

"He has done that to several people," Fisher said. "He is good. He is real good."

Until overtime, it didn't appear Hobson's career-night would even be necessary. UNM junior point guard Dairese Gary and sophomore post A.J. Hardeman each had 15 points and were trading late-game heroics.

Hardeman had four monstrous dunks in the final six minutes — two on dunk backs off teammate's misses. His dunk with 43 seconds remaining off a Hobson assist in the paint put UNM up 74-68.

Gary, meanwhile, made it a point throughout the game to penetrate the lane and attack SDSU's size advantage — the Aztecs had two players foul out and committed 27 fouls. Gary, who was 11 of 14 from the free throw line in the game, hit nine free throws in the final 7:07, and went 4 of 6 in the final 25 seconds.

But neither Gary nor Hardeman were able to put the Aztecs away.

That honor belonged to Hobson.

"For him to make the plays he made in overtime," Alford said, "not a lot of people can put together those kind of numbers. He is a very special player."

• • •

Lobos senior Roman Martinez didn't have the best game of his career, but it was one that placed his name into some elite company.

With 11 points and four rebounds, Martinez now has 1,005 points in hit Lobos career and 570 rebounds, making him the 14th player in school history to join the 1,000 point/500 rebounds club.

• • •

Saturday's Lobos win, coupled with UNLV's 88-74 win over No. 12 BYU in Las Vegas, Nev., means those two teams and the Lobos are all in a three-way tie for first place in the MWC with matching 7-2 league records.

UNLV and BYU split their two games this season while UNM plays at UNLV on Wednesday and at BYU on
Feb. 27.

Contact Geoff Grammer at ggrammer@sfnewmexican.com or 986-3060. Read his blog
at grammerschoolblog.com.