For a moment late Saturday night, UNM's Mandi Moore looked forlorn.
Sitting on the dais at The Pit's interview room after the Lobos' 91-85 overtime victory over the University of Miami, a look of pain passed over the sophomore point guard's face as teammate Chelsea Grear talked about the first half of the game. Watching Grear and grimacing, Moore looked as though she was replaying those 20 minutes in her mind.
Moore and her teammates trailed the quick, aggressive Hurricanes 40-29 at the half. UNM was mired in a two-of-11 shooting slump from behind the 3-point line and looked intimidated.
After halftime, UNM needed someone to step up. With Miami limiting senior center Jordan Adams' access to the ball in the post it would have to be someone else on the perimeter.
Enter Moore: doing something she's done sparingly in her two years at UNM, she brought the Lobos back with her shooting.
With UNM down 49-35 at the 15:28 mark and the game seemingly slipping, the 5-foot-7 guard took over. First, she drove the baseline for a lay in. Then, after senior guard Cristal Garcia cut the lead to 49-39, Moore did the real damage, hitting four consecutive 3-point shots and keyed a run that ignited both the Lobos and The Pit crowd.
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Head coach Don Flanagan said Moore took advantage of Miami's confusion.
"There was some indecision there and Mandi started shooting," he said.
Miami overlooked Moore's shooting ability and paid the price when its lead evaporated.
"She's such a competitor that she was going to continue to get that look and go aggressively for that particular shot," Flanagan said. "And once she got some success she kept it up."
Moore finished with 18 points, hitting four treys in the second half to tie a career high. But most importantly her confident play was the catalyst for the Lobo comeback -- much in the same way Miami point guard Yalonda McCormick led the Hurricanes in the first half.
McCormick crumbled as the UM lead shrank, losing her swagger more with each point. Moore, in contrast, shrugged off her flat first half and got her team going.
Moore is developing into a strong on-court leader for the Lobos. Saturday night she showed a flash of what she might look like as a senior, a confident player who will do anything to get her team going.
One of her limitations, according to Flanagan, is a lack of foot speed. It showed Saturday during several drives to the basket. She was often corralled before getting a shot off. But the drives still broke down the defense, leading to baskets and open looks.
Saturday, Moore shot UNM out of its slump. She may have to again soon.
Third-seed Mississippi State University, which meets the Lobos tonight, will likely focus on Adams again.
The Lobos will need a catalyst.
They're going to need more of Moore.
