The UNM women's basketball team has shown a lot of heart and determination in its last two victories.
The Lobos have displayed resiliency in recovering from double-digit deficits to win against Brigham Young University Thursday and the University of Utah Saturday 66-55.
Sophomore forward Melissa Forest epitomized the effort of the team, playing 30 minutes despite a broken nose, contributing 11 points and four rebounds.
"We refuse to lose," Forest said.
Freshman forward Lindsey Arndt played with the flu, but still contributed 30 minutes, nine rebounds and eight points.
"I was hoping she'd get enough time," head coach Don Flanagan said. "She gutted it up."
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Things weren't looking good for UNM early in the second half as the Utes blasted out of halftime on a 12-0 run to take a 45-32 lead less than five minutes into the half. Flanagan quickly called a timeout to regroup the team.
"I told them I was disappointed and if they didn't want to win, I wouldn't have been that emotionally involved," he said.
That timeout took UNM out of hibernation and freshman point guard Mandi Moore turned up the heat. Moore had 12 of her team-high 20 points in the second half.
Assistant coach Ed Wyant praised her efforts.
"Mandi is our catalyst; they all feed off of her," he said. "Being a freshman and our catalyst is something we are pretty proud of. She just finds a way to win."
The Lobos rallied with a run of their own, this time outscoring the Utes 28-2.
Flanagan said he wishes the Lobos would go on those types of runs more often.
"We are capable of doing it on a consistent basis," he said.
Wyant said the reason the team won the game is because they never give up.
"I think it all boils down to heart and determination when you have people like a Chelsea Grear and a Mandi Moore who refuse to lose," he said. "I had to slap myself on the face at one point because I started doubting when we were down by a dozen or so. But with that type of player you recruit, you are always in a ballgame."
Moore said that the team needs to be more consistent offensively because having to come from behind takes a lot out of the team physically, but added she is happy with the team's defensive effort.
"Our defense is giving us a lot of confidence," she said.
Forest said not to start calling the girls the comeback queens just yet because falling behind isn't the game plan for the rest of the season.
"We don't want to be the heart attack pack," she said.
Forest gives a lot of credit to the fans for the Lobos' rally.
"The crowd gets going, you get going and everything starts clicking," she said. "Our sixth man is the bomb. (Utah) couldn't even hear what they were calling."
