by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
The women's basketball team used hot three-point shooting to outshine the California Golden Bears 55-46 Sunday night.
California's game plan was to shut down Dionne Marsh and the Lobos' post presence, and they did just that in the first half. However, they were not able to stop Abbie Letz and Katie Montgomery from draining threes.
The Golden Bears used a zone defense to prevent UNM from scoring points in the paint and were successful in the opening minutes, holding a 4-2 lead with 16:20 in the first half.
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Then Letz and Montgomery put on a show from beyond the arc, making four consecutive three-pointers to give the Lobos a 14-4 lead.
UNM's hot shooting helped set the tempo for the game and made up for a bad shooting night for Marsh. The sophomore forward finished the game with one point from a free throw and shot a lowly 0-11 from the field.
Head coach Don Flanagan said it was vital for the shooters to make the outside shots in order to disrupt the California defense.
"That was real important," he said. "We had to shoot well from the outside. They went to a zone and that really hurt them."
Despite going into halftime with a 30-19 lead, California did not go away easily. While UNM usually starts strong in the second half, they came out cold Sunday. More than six minutes passed before the Lobos made their first field goal.
"The first four minutes are extremely important in the second half, and we normally score in the second half," Flanagan said. "I hate to see the other team get a run. I don't think they scored too many themselves and that saved us."
In fact, the Lobo defense only allowed six points at the 14:23 mark, holding on to a 31-25 lead.
California was able to make some short runs, but led by the senior poise of Letz, the Lobos made sure to keep them at a distance.
When the Golden Bears' Ashley Walker made two free throws to cut the lead to 49-42, momentum started shifting toward California. Letz made an uncharacteristic turnover, but made up for it with a steal, which led to a Montgomery field goal.
That heads-up play all but sealed the victory for UNM, as they stretched the lead to 55-42 when Letz scored her final basket of the game with 28 seconds on the clock.
Letz had an all-around great game, finishing tied for a team-high with 11 points. She recorded a double-double as she added 11 rebounds and three assists. Nine of her 12 points came from the three-point line.
Letz said she was happy with the victory, especially since it was a team effort.
"I was pretty excited. They're a really good team and I thought we showed a lot of character. I'm so proud of this team," she said.
With the victory, the Lobos move on the semifinal round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament against Oklahoma on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Flanagan said it was important to see his team come away with a big win despite Marsh's off day. The team effort helps the women's confidence for the rest of the tournament, Flanagan said.
"I'm happy about that because a lot of people felt like we were a one-player team, and it's obvious that we're not. We can win and beat a good opponent without Dionne having a great offensive game," he said.
