Junior guard Mandi Moore was one assist away from posting a triple-double Saturday against Air Force, as she broke a personal record with 11 rebounds and tied her scoring record with 20 points.
Ironically, Moore fell short in the one category she holds the UNM record in - assists.
Moore holds the season record with 212 assists in the 2002-03 term and is tied for No. 2 in assists-per-game with 12 last season. That record was also set at home against the Falcons.
"Mandi had one great game," UNM head coach Don Flanagan said. "That was just a super game by her. I didn't realize she could jump that high. Even when she didn't jump that high, she got rebounds anyway."
Moore said she didn't realize how significant her statistics were until late in the game when assistant coach Yvonne Sanchez was trying to tell her something from the sidelines. But Moore said she couldn't understand what Sanchez was trying to say.
"She just kept saying 'One' and I didn't know what she was talking about," Moore said. "I finally saw that she was mouthing assists."
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That was at about the five-minute mark of the second half, right before Moore stole the ball from Air Force's Shawna Neff. But instead of forcing a pass into traffic, Moore opted to take the open shot.
"I drove in, shot it and missed it," Moore said. "I kind of wish I had gotten to stay in to try and get it, but oh well. That's what (Flanagan) chose to do. He chose to let other guys play, and that's fine."
Flanagan said he had designed a play that would set Moore up for the record-breaking assist, but things didn't go according to plan.
"I left her in there for about two or three more minutes, and she didn't get that assist," he said. "She caught a pass that was behind her, and she threw a pass that was behind someone else. I decided that she had great statistics, but at the same time you need to get somebody else some playing time in a game like that."
Moore's last pass was to junior center Jenny Shetters in the midst of a press-breaker, but Shetters could not score and Moore was pulled from the game. She went to the bench when the Lobos had a 75-29 advantage.
"I'll admit, I wanted it pretty bad," Moore said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal. Not many people get a triple-double. I kind of wanted to stay in the game, but I knew some other people wanted a chance to get out there."
A UNM women's basketball player has not posted a triple-double in recent history.
Moore said the Falcons ran the same defense they used on their own floor in Colorado Springs. The Lobos were able to move the ball well, which allowed her to be open for many shots, en route to her 20 points.
Moore had 11 of UNM's first 20 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers and the first eight Lobo points.
She was ultimately good for eight of her 10 shots from the floor, including four of six from 3-point range. She also had four steals.
