Stealing thunder

Arndt holds Utes' prospective player of the year to 12 points

by Kristie Boudwin

Daily Lobo

Lindsey Arndt showed preseason hype is just that as she overwhelmed the projected 2005 Mountain West Conference player of the year on Saturday.

Arndt gracefully tamed Utah leader Kim Smith in the Lobos' victory over the Utes.

Arndt attained her ninth career double-double, her second in two straight games, and was named player of the game Saturday as she held Smith to a mediocre performance.

Smith is the two-time Mountain West Player of the year and a projected candidate for National Player of the Year and All-American. She came into Saturday's game leading Utah with 17 points per game and 9.5 rebounds.

Arndt and the Lobos' defense held Smith to 4 points in the first 33 minutes of the game.

"She didn't shoot as much as I remember her shooting," Arndt said. "She drove a lot, which is hard to defend. She is a good player and hard to guard. Maybe she was a little off tonight. She can usually do a lot more."

Arndt said the Lobos made it a point to stay on Smith, and she probably would have shot more if she had more open opportunities.

Smith finished the game with 12 points and 8 rebounds. Eight of her points came in the final minutes of the game.

"Late in the game you could see what a great player she is," Lobo head coach Don Flanagan said. "She is really strong."

Arndt scored 10 points and led the team with 10 rebounds and three steals. The steals played a key role in the game - the Lobos scored 20 points off turnovers.

Arndt is a three-year starter at power forward and leads the team in rebounds.

Flanagan said she is a tough match for most players.

"She's really a mismatch for most people because she is so athletic," he said. "She can go in the interior of the defense and make good things happen, and she can put it on the floor and make good things happen."

Arndt and Smith both played a quiet first half, then came out stronger in the second. Flanagan said Arndt tends to start games with too much adrenaline, and her success comes after she calms down.

"I just need to get rid of some energy, I guess," Arndt said. "I love these type of games. I love the competition in big games. It's fun when there is a big crowd. I just get overly excited."

Arndt acknowledged she matched up well with Smith but said she thinks they have contrasting styles.

"She is more of a scorer than I am," Arndt said. "I am a bit bigger than her, and she drives more than I do. We just play differently, I think."

Lobos secure No. 1 spot in Mountain West Conference

by Riley Bauling

Daily Lobo

Shona, Shona, Shona.

That's what Kim Smith might have been uttering as the Utes took the trip back to Salt Lake City Saturday after a 61-55 loss to UNM. Smith is the preseason-tabbed Top Returning Player in the Mountain West Conference.

The Brady-esque sentiment would no doubt stem from Shona Thorburn's 28 points and 12 rebounds compared with Smith's 12 points and eight rebounds. Smith averaged 17 points a game until Saturday, while Thorburn averaged 13.4.

Thorburn did not suceed in her attempt to ruin the Lobos' bid to win their 10th-straight game at The Pit and their third of four games over the Utes. Instead, UNM rode the coattails of freshman Dionne Marsh and seniors Lindsey Arndt and Mandi Moore on its way to a 4-0 record and possession of first place in the Mountain West Conference.

While Thorburn played the role of thorn in the Lobos' side, UNM was paced by five players scoring eight or more points.

Marsh led all UNM players with 14 points, while Arndt and Moore both dropped 10 points on the Utes. Jana Francis and Julie Briody had eight and nine points, respectively.

Junior Judy Vogt was given the daunting task of shadowing Thorburn and said she was a little disappointed with her effort in spite of the Lobos' win.

"I don't think I did that great today," Vogt said. "I mean, 28 points is a lot of points. I guess I would give myself a C."

The first half saw the Lobos up 33-30 after Briody went on a 7-point tear en route to an 11-2 run to close the first half.

Thorburn carried the Utes on her 5-foot-10 frame, keeping Utah close and scoring 19 of her team's 30 first-half points.

Smith was the next leading scorer in the first half with four.

"We were doing our best to stop Thorburn," Lobo head coach Don Flanagan said. "We talked about not allowing her to take us in transition, but talk is cheap, I guess. We were trying not to let her catch the ball, but she's just a darn good player."

Although Vogt said she wasn't enthusiastic about her performance, when she came off the bench to guard Thorburn in the second half one-on-one, the Ute guard was held to a diminutive nine points.

Well, diminutive for her at least.

"In the first half, I was playing help-side defense and a lot of her points would be when I would rotate on help," she said. "She would get a quick look and make it most of the time. So in the second half, I was instructed not to switch off on her no matter what."

With Arndt finding her touch in the second half and scoring seven points after a 0-for-6 first-half showing from the field, the Lobos stayed on top for the rest of the game.

Moore iced the game for UNM in the waning seconds, going 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Two of those free throws came off of an intentional foul call when 6-foot-3 center Deanne Hanchett hockey-checked the 5-foot-7 Moore over the media table and into the open arms of the announcer.

Arndt was hesitant when asked how it felt to be in first place with the win against the Utes.

"It feels good, but it's also hard," she said. "Now we have a target on our back, because everyone wants to beat us."