The UNM women's basketball team will try to earn its first conference home victory of the season Thursday when it plays Brigham Young University in The Pit.
The Lobos lost their Mountain West Conference opener at home Jan. 6 the University of Nevada at Las Vegas 62-53. But, they rebounded last week with an impressive trouncing of the Air Force Academy on the road and look to continue building the momentum against the Cougars.
However, the Cougars (11-4, 1-1 in the Mountain West Conference) are an experienced team, with returning six players from last year, including four of five starters, and have a pair of talented guards.
UNM (12-4, 1-1) will be going up against possibly the best backcourt tandem in the conference in junior shooting guard Erin Thorn and senior point guard Stacy Jensen.
Thorn leads BYU in scoring and is second in the conference at 18.3 points per game. She does most of her damage from the outside as she is a deadly 3-point shooter. She leads the conference with 53 made 3-pointers, hitting at an impressive 46 percent.
"Erin Thorn is one of the better shooters I have seen in college basketball," UNM head coach Don Flanagan said. "She is just a great shooter; she does not need a lot of space. She has a quick release and a soft touch. Her range is about 24 feet so she is tough to guard."
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Jensen is the floor leader for BYU controlling the tempo and dishing out nearly five assists a game.
Both players had dynamic performances versus the Lobos last February in The Pit, helping escape with a 79-72 victory. Thorn scored a game-high 31 points and hit five 3-pointers, and Jensen chipped in with 13 points, including three-of-four from beyond the arc. In that game, the Cougars hit 12-of-23 from outside for a 52 percent clip.
Flanagan said he thinks BYU will not be intimidated by playing on the road because of the win last year.
"I think they will come in confident," he said. "They may have as much talent as anybody in the league. They have the talent to, at any time, be real explosive."
Although UNM returned the favor a month later in Provo, Utah, winning 78-70, BYU has held Lobo center Jordan Adams in check.
Adams leads the team in scoring for the second straight year, averaging 17 points a game, but she struggled against the Cougars. She averaged 8.5 points in the two games.
Flanagan said the Cougars boast a tough inside game because the frontcourt players are physical and scrappy.
Sophomore forward Lauren McLeod said the Lobos have to match the Cougars toughness and get easy baskets if they want to succeed.
"I think we need to out rebound BYU and shoot the ball well," she said. "If we do those two things I think we will win."
One thing the Lobos do not have to worry about is their defense because they have been playing well all season holding opponents down. UNM is giving up only 57 points a game, which is second in the Mountain West.
"Our offense is getting better and our defense is quite good," Flanagan said. "I think this is the best defensive team we have had in a while."
That defense will have to be in top form again against BYU, especially on the perimeter. The Cougars lead the conference in 3-point shooting, making nearly half of their attempts. They shoot 45 percent from the outside, which leads the conference.
And UNM still has the bitter taste of last year's home defeat still in its mouth.
"We never like to get beat at home so it does kind of sting a little bit and hopefully that will give us a little extra motivation," McLeod said.
The game is at 7 p.m. and can be heard on 610-KNML.
Women's Top 25: In Ames, Iowa, Angie Welle made 10-of-11 shots in scoring 28 points, and No. 14 Iowa State University started the second half with an 18-4 surge that sent the Cyclones to an 82-66 victory over No. 3 the University of Oklahoma.
Iowa State (14-3, 2-3 Big 12) shot 78 percent in the second half and made a complete turnaround after losing two road games last week, including a shocking 17-point loss at Texas A&M.
