ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -Roman Martinez found his three-point stroke in the second half Saturday, knocking down four from long range in the second half to help New Mexico take an 81-62 victory over Mountain West Conference rival BYU.
Martinez finished with 15 points, 13 in the second half, as one of four Lobos (11-7, 2-1) in double figures. UNM center Daniel Faris led all scorers with 19 points, while Cougars guard Jimmer Fredette scored 15 to lead BYU (14-3, 2-1).
Nate Garth came off the New Mexico bench to hand off a game-high six assists.
The loss was by far the Cougars' largest of the season, topping a seven-point defeat by Wake Forest on Jan. 3. New Mexico's win broke a six-game losing streak to BYU, which recorded its lowest point total of the season.
Martinez and Chad Toppert, who added 15 points, combined for four 3-pointers over a five-minute span as the Lobos took control. They hit consecutive threes to ignite a 10-0 New Mexico run that pushed the UNM lead to 64-51 before Jonathan Tavernari ended BYU's three-minute scoreless streak with a baseline 3-pointer.
The lead never dropped below 10 the rest of the way.
New Mexico used a 12-2 run midway through the first half to take a 31-23 advantage, with Toppert hitting a pair of 3-pointers and a driving layup to spark the streak.
Tony Danridge, who had 13 points and a game-high seven rebounds, gave the Lobos a 41-34 lead at the break with an acrobatic, reverse layup under the basket, driving the baseline before flipping it off the glass.
New Mexico finished 22-for-25 from the free-throw line and 7-of-18 on three pointers.
