Lobo fans will have to wait one more day to cheer on the women's basketball team in the Sweet 16 when UNM plays Texas Tech University on Saturday night at The Pit.
The Lobos are trying to make history once again by moving on to the Elite Eight with a victory against the Lady Raiders.
"It's big for us, it's big for the program," junior forward Melissa Forrest said. "Texas Tech is a national powerhouse every year, so it's a big chance for us to put ourselves on the map."
TTU comes into Bob King Court seeded second in the Midwest Region. The Lady Raiders moved on to the Sweet 16 by beating UC-Santa Barbara 72-68. TTU is 28-5 overall and was 13-3 in the Big 12.
"They are very quick," head coach Don Flanagan said. "They attack the basket aggressively, get in the passing lanes and pressure defense. They're going to play us really hard."
This marks the 16th appearance by the Lady Raiders in the NCAA tournament. They won the national championship in 1993. TTU has been in this situation more times than the Lobos but UNM has the distinct home-court advantage. UNM has also been on a hot streak, winning its last eight games.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
The Lobos have been led by a team effort with sophomore point guard Mandi Moore and senior center Jordan Adams carrying the offensive load the past two games. Moore had 19 points and eight rebounds in the win over Mississippi State on Monday. Adams was no slouch either, scoring 19 of her own while adding 10 rebounds to go along with her five blocks.
Adams said that her main job is to stop TTU junior forward Jia Perkins who averages 16.4 PPG and a team high 7.8 RPG.
"She's a really good penetrator and I need to help out on defense and not let her drive to the basket every time," Adams said.
She also said that the Lobos need to improve on turnovers and shoot better from the foul line to win.
UNM will also have to deal with the inside presence of Plenette Pierson who averages 17.9 PPG.
These two teams are familiar with each other and their last meeting came last year when the Lobos beat the Lady Raiders for the first time 74-65. UNM also beat the University of Texas earlier this season, a team that beat TTU twice this year.
Flanagan predicted that this game will come down to the wire and will be won by the team that wants it more. With more than 16,000 screaming fans, the Lobos will have added incentive to come up with that desire.
"We're going to have to want it more than them," Flanagan said. "Because there is so much energy flowing our way that it will help them (the Lobos) overcome any obstacles."
Tip off is scheduled for about 9:15 p.m. or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Georgia-Duke game. Tickets are sold out but the game can be heard on 610 AM or seen on ESPN2.
