by Audra Meiklejohn
Daily Lobo
The Lobos looked nearly flawless in their 93-57 victory over the Air Force Academy Falcons in their conference opener Saturday night at The Pit.
UNM dominated the game from the opening tip off and went on a 7-0 run in the first two minutes of play. Sophomore forward Lindsey Ardnt scored twice and senior forward Chelsea Grear hit a 3-pointer before the Falcons were able to get on the scoreboard.
In the opening minutes, Grear and point guard Mandi Moore took turns taking the ball away from the frustrated Falcon point guard, Latoya Howell, who has held the honor of Mountain West Conference Player of the Week twice already this season. Howell hit her first attempt of the night behind the 3-point arc to bring the Falcons within four, but that was as close as the Air Force Academy would get to the Lobos.
At halftime UNM led the Falcons by 16. Playing the entire first half, the break was Moore's first rest, which was well deserved, as she led all scorers at that time with 14 points. Moore made four-of-seven shots from the field in the first half and hit all five of her free throws. She also had nine assists before the break and finished the game with only one turnover.
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UNM head coach Don Flanagan was pleased with Moore's performance in the first half.
"You can't shoot much better than that," he said. " I'll take that every single time. That's excellent."
The Lobos took the court after halftime picking up right where they left off. Falcon forward Shawna Neff, was the first to score in the second period, but senior powerhouse Jordan Adams was able to match it for UNM. Adams then made a 3-pointer on the next possession, extending the Lobos' lead to 17. Shortly after, UNM guard Cristal Garcia added five points of her own, scoring on a fast break and draining a three.
Sharp offense and efficient defense enabled UNM to consistently score two or three baskets for every one made by Air Force in the second half, allowing the Falcons only 23 points in the last period. In the second half the Lobos made 56 percent of their shots, while the Air Force Academy shot only 30 percent.
Flanagan said that shooting was definitely the key to the Lobos' win, because the Falcons out-hustled them.
"Both free throw shooting and field goal shooting were key in this game," he said. "But when you play Air Force, they out-hustle you. I don't want our players to be out-hustled."
Starters Adams, Garcia, Grear, Arndt and Moore all finished the night in double figures and all 12 players on the Lobo roster saw action against Air Force. Tiana Johnson, a freshman out of Roswell, came off the bench and scored two points with 2:33 remaining to give the Lobos their biggest advantage of the night, extending the lead to 40.
Moore was named player of the game leading UNM with 16 points. She also finished with 12 assists. Adams and Garcia each added 15 points while Grear and Arndt each contributed 11. Howell, a junior at the Air Force Academy, led all scorers on the night with 18, while Neff, also a junior, put in 13 for the Falcons.
Next week, the Lobos travel to Colorado State on Thursday and the University of Wyoming on Saturday. The Rams and the Cowboys will provide a challenge for UNM, however, the Lobos are looking to the road trip with assurance. Right now, at 13-3, UNM holds the second best record in the MWC, closely following the University of Utah.
Although Utah (14-3) has a better record than New Mexico, the Utes lost to Weber State 70-59 on Jan. 4., while the Lobos defeated the Weber State Wildcats on Jan.11, 70-57.
