If you look at the box score from the UNM women's basketball team's victory over Mississippi State University, you won't find much mention of Tiffany Scaglione, Cristal Garcia or The Pit.
What they bring to the table isn't measured by statistics.
The two players and one arena scored two points, two points and zero points respectively. Garcia pulled down five rebounds, all defensive. Scaglione had three rebounds, again all defensive. The most important statistic for The Pit was simple: "Attendance: 16,214."
Monday night, these three played an essential part in helping the Lobos earn their first Sweet 16 appearance in school history. In fact, coming into this year, UNM had never won a NCAA tournament game.
There's no way to measure what Scaglione, Garcia and The Pit -- and its 16,000 howling fans -- brought in Monday night.
If you could quantify guts, effort and desire, Scaglione and Garcia would take up entire pages on their own. Scaglione, the defender with a smile as wide as the ocean and the demeanor of a junkyard dog, was one of the defenders that frustrated MSU's senior All-American LaToya Thomas for much of the game. The Bulldog forward scored above her 25.6 points per game average, but had to work very hard to do it.
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Scaglione also set a pair of vicious picks, one of which earned her an elbow right out of the professional wrestlers' handbook. Rather than demoralize her, it got her pumped up -- especially when guard Doceide Warren, the Bulldog guard who the elbow belonged to, was whistled for her third personal foul on the play.
Garcia, like Scaglione, is a dedicated defender. She's also a shooter, but on Monday night ,her touch abandoned her. However, the senior guard made up for it by shadowing Warren and fellow guards Renea Jones and Tan White, MSU's sophomore human highlight reel. White also had to work hard for her 17 points, so hard that she shot a miserable seven-for-22 from the field. By the end of the game, the effort affected White to the point of doubling over from intense leg cramps.
Oh, and then there's The Pit -- and the 16,000 fans that booed and screamed like a surly sea of red for 40 minutes.
White and Thomas did a fair job of weathering the storm that reverberated down on Bob King Court Monday. The same can not be said about many of their teammates. The Pit was a sixth man to the nth degree. The crowd's cheers were a physical presence.
The reason I bring all of this up isn't simply to give props. For the Lobos to continue dancing their way through the NCAA Tournament, they'll need these three elements to continue doing what they're doing. If Scaglione can post more numbers on the box score, that's fine. But neither player can afford to stop being what they are -- the heart and soul of the team.
The Lobos need Jordan Adams, Chelsea Grear and Mandi Moore to continue excelling. They also need more breakout performances like Moore's on Saturday and Lindsey Arndt's on Monday. For UNM to fulfill its flight of fancy to the Final Four, it needs all of the above -- plus Scaglione, Garcia and The Pit for good measure.
