GAME NOTES: The Utah Runnin' Utes try to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season tonight as they visit the New Mexico Lobos for a Mountain West Conference showdown at The Pit. On Saturday, the Utes failed to hold off BYU in what became a 55-52 setback at home in Salt Lake City. The loss was the second in a row for the squad and pushed them to 1-2 in league play. As for the Lobos, they moved out to a stellar 11-1 at home in Albuquerque on Saturday afternoon with a strong 59-44 performance versus Air Force. The victory snapped a two-game slide for UNM. Utah leads the all-time series with the Lobos by a count of 77-44, although New Mexico is 36-24 in Albuquerque and an even more impressive 33-12 in The Pit over the years. Last year each team won at home, but needed overtime to get the job done.

Lawrence Borha tallied 12 points and Luke Nevill had 11 to go along with his nine rebounds, but the Utes simply could not keep up with BYU as the team lost by three over the weekend at the Huntsman Center. The squad shot just 3-of-14 from three-point range, 38.6 percent from the field and was outscored at the free-throw line, 12-5. A 51.2 percent shooter from the field over the course of 16 starts, Nevill continues to lead the team in both scoring and rebounding with averages of 13.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest. The center has also logged a team-best 27 blocks, yet those still don't overshadow his mere 21 assists to this point in the campaign. Johnnie Bryant has been used exclusively off the bench in 2007-08, resulting in his 12.6 ppg as he helps push the unit to better than 40 percent shooting beyond the arc. From a defensive standpoint, Utah is limiting opponents to just 60.1 ppg this year.

J.R. Giddens rose to the occasion with game-highs of 15 points and 12 rebounds as the Lobos dismissed Air Force on Saturday by 15 points at The Pit. Roman Martinez added 13 points for the Lobos, a team that shot just 8-of-15 at the charity stripe and 41.2 percent from the floor overall. Defense was key for the home squad as it limited the Falcons to just 27.5 percent shooting from the field, which included a 6-of-23 showing out on the perimeter. When Giddens is on his game there are few players in the MWC who can stop him, which is why he currently leads New Mexico with 13.5 ppg and 8.7 rpg. Giddens is also responsible for 20 blocks and 23 steals, not to mention close to three assists per game for a team that is producing 75.3 ppg and has one of the most balanced scoring attacks in the conference. Chad Toppert contributes 11.0 ppg as a part- time starter. As a group, the Lobos are knocking down an impressive 42.4 percent from three-point range, but just 66 percent at the free-throw line.

Utah has shown that a defensive-minded opponent can control the tempo of a matchup, but with the Lobos being so dominant at home, the Utes are likely to come up short tonight.