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Albuquerque, N.M. • The No. 9-ranked BYU Cougars wanted to make their last game in The Pit a memorable one, perhaps exacting some revenge for last year's sweep at the hands of New Mexico that eventually kept them from winning a piece of the Mountain West Conference regular-season title.

If there is a next time, they might want to bring a little defense — especially late in the game.

Scoring on 15 of their last 16 possessions to overcome a 13-point deficit, and spurred on by a maniacal, sellout crowd of 15,411 at the iconic arena, the Lobos pushed past the Cougars for the third straight time — first time that's been done in 11 years — with an 86-77 upset to snap BYU's 10-game winning streak and topple its perch atop the league standings.

"We had a hard time getting them stopped in the last 10 minutes of the game," said BYU coach Dave Rose.

And so BYU's hopes of a top-five ranking, on the heel's of its big win over No. 4 San Diego State, were dashed where a lot of dreams come to die. New Mexico (3-4, 15-7) has been average this year, losing to those same Aztecs in this building two weeks ago by 10.

But when BYU's in town, the Lobos seemingly find another gear, and an unexpected hero.

The Cougars fell to 6-1 in league play, 20-2 overall, and trudged off the court dejectedly at the final buzzer as New Mexico students stormed the floor, a scene resembling what took place in Provo just four days ago.

UNM freshman Tony Snell provided the biggest daggers in the frenzied final moments, making three 3-pointers in the final six minutes and finishing with a career-high 16 points. He was one of five Lobos in double figures, while the Cougars' scoring was again unbalanced: Jimmer Fredette popped in 32 points — on 12-for-26 shooting — and Brandon Davies added 15, but Jackson Emery struggled, briefly got hurt, and had just six points while battling foul trouble.

"I think New Mexico's effort [was the reason the Cougars blew a 13-point lead]," Rose said. "It really increased. They got a couple shots, and their pace really changed and they went right at us. They hit some shots and got some confidence."

And the Cougars got rattled, missing shots they normally make and committing five crucial turnovers in the final 12 minutes.

Fredette seemingly righted the ship with back-to-back three-pointers around the seven-minute mark, but after Rose took a strange, momentum-killing timeout — he said the defense was already showing signs of leaking and needed an adjustment — the Lobos' Phillip McDonald hit a 3 to get the crowd right back into it.

"We were on our heels defensively, and that was an issue for us," Rose said. "If we could have got a couple stops there, I think we could have got the lead back up. But that's a good offensive team."

The Lobos took their first lead since early in the game, 68-67, after Brandon Davies was called for traveling and Snell hit a 3-pointer, then watched as two 3-point attempts on the same possession by Fredette went in and out.

"They rattled out. Not much you can say about it, except that they didn't go in," said Fredette, who went to the free-throw line just five times, but more surprisingly made just two of those attempts. There was a stretch of 4 minutes, 39 seconds where the Cougars didn't score, coming up empty on seven straight possessions.

"They get on a little bit of a run, and we get a couple tough breaks, coming down on the other end, and missed a shot or [had] a tough call here or there," Rose said. "The lead gets away from you, and you are fighting uphill again."

All told, the Cougars were outscored 46-24 after taking the 13-point lead.

"We went down by 13 to a team with the number one RPI in the country, so to come back from that and win by nine is a special turnaround," said New Mexico coach Steve Alford.

drew@sltrib.comTwitter: @drewjay —

Storylines

R In Short • No. 9 BYU blows a 13-point lead in the second half, falls to New Mexico for the third straight year in Albuquerque.

Key Moment • The Lobos go on a 12-0 run after the Cougars surge ahead 53-40 five minutes into the second half.

Key Stat • The Lobos make 9 of their last 11 shots, including 5 of 6 from the 3-point line.