All odds were against the Lobos.
But UNLV's 10-game winning streak came to a screeching halt Saturday night at The Pit as UNM upset the Rebels in the last seconds, handing them their first conference loss of the year.
The Lobos just wanted to remind UNLV and the conference's leading scorer how it feels to lose. The Rebels had not lost a game since Dec. 15 when they stumbled at Loyola Marymount.
Going into Saturday's game, the Rebels, who received votes for the AP top-25 last week, had bragging rights in the Mountain West Conference, leading the league in seven of 12 individual categories.
UNLV is home to the leading scorer in the MWC, RanDee Henry, who is averaging 19.4 points per game. Two other Rebels, Sherry McCracklin and Sheena Moore, also average double digits on the scoreboard.
None of the UNM women are averaging double figures.
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Junior Lindsey Arndt is the Lobos' leading scorer, with 9.4 points per game.
Henry, who finished with 23 points and eight boards Saturday, also leads the MWC in field goal percentage, while McCracklin is the conference leader in three categories including blocked shots and offensive and defensive rebounds.
UNM head coach Don Flanagan said he knew UNLV was strong on the inside, but he was not prepared for what he saw.
"I had never seen Henry play before, and I was watching her while we were warming up," he said. "I thought 'We can guard her,' but she's a lot stronger than I thought. She's got a great shot."
Flanagan also noted McCracklin quicker was than he had anticipated.
"She was just abusing our team in the first 10 minutes," he said.
The Lobos struggled to keep up with UNLV in the first half, and Lobo center Jenny Shetters made two free throws to keep the score even at halftime.
UNM had only 10 points in the paint in the first period, which the Rebels doubled.
The Lobos fell behind early in the second half and trailed by nine when senior Melissa Forest marked the turning point for UNM with a layin from Moore.
The Lobos gradually snuck back into the game, and Forest brought them within two, putting back a rebound with just over four minutes to go.
"I knew if we got within three or four we would win," Forest said. "They kind of got tired, and we got stronger as the game went on."
And that was Flanagan's plan exactly - to wear the Rebels out. Only eight UNLV players got time on the floor, and four of them played nearly the entire game.
Meanwhile, Flanagan worked in all 13 UNM women on the roster.
"Our strategy in the second half was to rotate people in there to tire her (McCracklin) out," Flanagan said. "We were trying to relay girls in there."
The final burst of energy came from freshman Katie Montgomery, who tied the score at 66 and then gave UNM a two-point lead. Forest sealed the victory with two points from the free-throw line.
With the win, the Lobos (12-6, 4-1) move into a tie with UNLV for second place in the MWC.
