Longhorns whip Lobos, 73-56

by Steven Fernandez

Daily Lobo

Jamie Carey could not be stopped from beyond the three-point line, while the Texas Longhorns trounced the Lobos in The Pit on Saturday afternoon, 73-56.

The No. 7-ranked Longhorns were led by their senior guard, who finished with a game-high 28 points. Carey shot 6-for-8 from three-point range and constantly hit big threes to stop any runs the Lobos attempted.

"She just had a great night tonight," head coach Don Flanagan said.

Carey's career-high came on a night when one of Texas' other big weapons, forward Tiffany Jackson, got into early foul trouble and was held to eight points in limited playing time.

"People just got me the ball," Carey said. "I was in a flow. It was just a matter of not letting open shots get passed by."

The main contributor for the Lobos was senior forward Lindsey Arndt, who finished with a team-high 15 points. Arndt made a couple shots to bring the Lobos back into the game but had to watch Texas drain shots time and time again.

"They're all really good," Arndt said. "They just played well."

Early in the first half, Texas jumped out to a 16-5 lead after UNM kept missing open shots.

"It's just mental," Arndt said of the team's misses. "It can be a little mechanical, but we were just rushing some shots."

Some of those shots were rushed because of a swarming Longhorn defense. Every Texas player hustled to the ball, and made it hard for the Lobos to get easy passes, much less shots.

"They're just in your face," Arndt said. "They were quick to the ball, we had to get our passes out fast."

The Lobos made runs at the lead throughout the game, getting the 11,057 fans at The Pit on their feet. Texas coach Jody Conradt said she was impressed with the arena's atmosphere.

"This is a great environment for women's basketball," Conradt said.

UNM pulled to within four at 16-12 after a 7-0 run but would not get any closer throughout the game. The crowd tried getting the team back into the game, but the Longhorns were just too much.

Senior guard Mandi Moore finished with two points and nine assists.

"That team definitely has a chance of winning it all," she said. "But we have to get stronger."

Flanagan said the Lobos knew what they were getting into.

"Nobody on our schedule is better, so it's a tough test," he said. "They had too many players that could score."