Staff Report
Second verse, same as the first.
The UNM women's basketball team and the Utah Utes tied for the regular season Mountain West Conference champion for the second consecutive year after the Lobos' 65-48 win over the Wyoming Cowgirls on Saturday.
UNM snagged the first seed in the MWC tournament because it swept the Utes this season.
The Lobos ended the MWC regular season with a 12-2 record and a 23-4 record overall.
UNM will play the eighth seed, San Diego State, in the first round of the tournament, which starts Wednesday at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
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The Utes grabbed the second seed with a 61-55 win over the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Runnin' Rebels on Saturday to put them at 12-2 in the conference and 23-6 overall. Utah will play No. 7 Air Force in the opening round of the MWC tournament.
With the loss to the Lobos, Wyoming dropped to 7-7 in the conference and 17-10 overall. The Cowgirls earned the No. 4 seed and will take on the No. 5 seed, UNLV, in the first round of the MWC tournament.
The third seed in the tournament is Brigham Young, and it will face the No. 6 seed, Colorado State, in the opening round.
UNM started slowly against Wyoming, trailing 18-4 in the first half. UNM clawed its way back in the second half with a 17-5 run after intermission to grab a 39-33 lead.
Freshman Dionne Marsh led the onslaught for the Lobos in the second half, scoring 11 of her game-high 16 points to go along with nine rebounds. Marsh has scored in double figures in every conference game this season.
UNM shot 62 percent from the field in the second half compared to 33 percent in the first half.
Senior Lindsey Arndt chipped in 14 points for the Lobos, while sophomore Katie Montgomery added nine points and six rebounds.
