Saint Louis stuns No. 20 Lobos; Alford not around to see finish

ST. LOUIS - Steve Alford could not believe his eyes.

The New Mexico coach watched in a state of shock as his No. 20 Lobos managed only 13 points during the first half of a 60-46 loss at Saint Louis on Monday.

New Mexico (13-2) missed nine of its first 12 shots and committed 15 turnovers on its first 28 possessions as Saint Louis rolled to a 33-13 halftime lead.

"Our team has been really good all year long, but that was about as poor a half as our team can play," Alford said. "We were obviously not ready to play - and that falls on the head coach."

New Mexico failed to get off a shot on seven consecutive possessions, helping Saint Louis open an 18-7 lead.

"We just weren't ready to play at all," forward Alex Kirk said. "It's disappointing because we didn't take care of business the way we had hoped to."

Alford was ejected for the first time in his 22-year coaching career after receiving back-to-back technical fouls with 9:26 to play. The Lobos trailed 49-31.

"I said, 'That's a foul,' and I got T'd up," Alford said. "I said, 'That's still a foul.' And I got my second technical. I've never seen anything like that in 22 years."

Alford was quick to point out his ejection had little to do with the outcome of the game. Saint Louis simply overwhelmed the Lobos in the first half.

New Mexico finished with a season-high 21 turnovers.

Cory Remekun scored a career-high 15 points, and Cody Ellis added 13 to lead Saint Louis (10-3) to its seventh win in a row, the Billikens' longest streak since they won eight straight in 2003.

Remekun, who came in averaging 6.2 points, provided a much-needed offensive boost for the Billikens. He scored 10 points in the first 18:22 and played key roles in runs of 12-0 and 11-2 that staked Saint Louis to an early 20-point lead.

Kendall Williams led New Mexico with 15 points. Kirk added 13 points and eight rebounds.