by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
Through the first nine games of the 2005 season, Abbie Letz has established herself as one of the UNM women's basketball team's main scoring threats, especially from beyond the three-point line.
In Saturday night's game against North Dakota State, it was Letz's versatility that was key in securing another UNM victory. She finished the contest with a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds.
As important as her points were, Letz was also busy wreaking havoc on the defensive side of the ball. She finished the game with three steals and a game-high three blocks. Also, 12 of her 14 rebounds came on the defensive end of the court.
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Letz also had a big game in Friday night's victory over the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Her all-around solid play for the weekend earned her the Lobo Shootout Tournament MVP and some high praise from head coach Don Flanagan.
"Abbie's a warrior," he said. "I need more people like Abbie. She plays the game 100 percent, and that's what I'm looking for from my players."
While Letz was pleased with the way she played, she was more excited about the team coming out on top.
"Personally, I don't really look at it like, 'Oh I had a good game.' I think we beat a very good, solid team, and I'm happy that we won," she said.
Part of the reason Letz grabbed so many rebounds against North Dakota State is because of her ability to play different positions. She is listed as a guard on the UNM roster, but was forced to play a lot of time in the post when Dionne Marsh and Jana Francis got into foul trouble.
Flanagan said he was impressed with how Letz was able to respond to the situation. He said for her to make the switch from outside player to inside player is quite an adjustment, considering she doesn't practice that position.
Even though playing in the post is something Letz doesn't normally do as a Lobo, it was the position she played in high school and she said it's easy for her to adjust back to that.
"I feel very comfortable in the post," she said. "Even as a guard I post up a lot."
And let's not forget Letz has spent the majority of the season nursing a back injury. That hasn't stopped her from leading the team with 69 rebounds through the nine games she's played this season.
That's an average of 8.6 rebounds per game. After Saturday night, Letz is averaging 9.4 points per game. Despite playing limited minutes in two of this season's games, Letz is nearly averaging a double-double.
Letz said her back still hurts sometimes, but she doesn't let it affect her when it comes time to play.
"My back's pretty sore, so we'll just have to take it day by day," she said. "We have tomorrow off, so that will help. I'm usually pretty sore after games."
The senior joked that she can't figure out why she has been such an effective rebounder this season.
"I don't know. I'm not fast. I can't jump. I don't really know," she said.
After finishing the weekend with 25 points and 22 rebounds, some of Letz's opponents might disagree.
