The Lobos scored a big 75-49 win Saturday against Colorado State, but lost three-year starter Mandi Moore for the last seven minutes of the game.
Moore fell to the floor in agony after 5-foot-3-inch CSU guard Vanessa Espinoza jabbed her in the eye with a finger. Moore was escorted out of The Pit and taken to the hospital.
Espinoza lost favor among Lobo fans early in the first half when she angrily spiked the ball and did not receive a technical foul. After the unintentional shot at Moore, the fans booed each time Espinoza had the ball.
Coach Don Flanagan said the shot at Moore was clearly accidental, and he did not doubt the sincerity of Espinoza's apology.
"Espinoza is a player that has to play hard," Flanagan said. "Obviously she is not very tall, so she has to play at a very intense level. It was unintentional and unfortunate."
The Lobos came out strong in the first half and ran away with the lead before the Rams warmed up. The Rams had 16 points and only five field goals in the first half.
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The frustrated CSU offense suffered a 10-minute stretch without a field goal and shot only 20.8 percent in the first half.
The Lobos led 37-16 at the end of the first period. The Rams scored more than twice as many points in the second half than in the first, but it was not enough to let them back in the game.
"The first half just took them out of the game," Flanagan said. "We got them out of their offense, and, as you could see, in the second half when they are running their offense, they are hard to stop."
Dionne Marsh led the Lobos with her first double-double. Her notorious ability to get fouled inside frustrated the Rams. Marsh finished with 10 rebounds and 14 points - six of those points from the free-throw line.
Flanagan tested the depth of the bench, giving playing time to younger, less experienced players. The Lobos finished with a total of 33 points off the bench.
Katie Montgomery stepped into Moore's shoes as point guard for the final seven minutes of the game.
"Katie is just as at home at the point guard as Mandy," Flanagan said. "She is very experienced and very smart."
Sophomore guard Julie Briody said the team is confident in Montgomery and her abilities as a well-rounded player.
"With Katie going at the point, everybody feels pretty comfortable, because she is stable on offense and defense," Briody said. "I think her stepping into that spot didn't have any let down."
The CSU contest marked the halfway point in conference play. The Lobos will play five of their seven remaining games on the road.
"What we have to do is continue to play hard, play well, be aggressive and not just be a home team, but be a team that can win on the road," Flanagan said.
