Lobos hunting for remedy to 1st-half jitters

by Andre van der Merwe

Daily Lobo

The UNM women's basketball team is known as a dominating second-half team. It's a reputation the team is trying to change.

Not that the Lobos want to change how well they play in the second half, but rather how slow they start in the first half. In their last four victories, the No. 18 Lobos have trailed to start each game before rallying for a blowout in the second half.

In their 76-45 victory over San Diego State on Wednesday night, the Lobos scored as many points in the second half as the Aztecs did in the entire game. The Lobos opened the second half in dominating fashion by converting five of their first six three-pointers.

This victory over SDSU (3-14, 0-7) at The Pit was just another night for the Lobos (15-4, 5-1), as they went on with their regularly scheduled second-half blowout. The Aztecs, like many, were no match for the Lobos in the second half, as they lost their seventh straight.

However, this routine has its downside. In order for the Lobos to get the ball rolling they have to give a little first. This is what they did Wednesday night against San Diego State when the Aztecs opened the game with a 4-0 lead.

The same was true in the Lobos' last home game against Wyoming when they trailed early in the game 4-10. The Lobos headed into the locker room with a two-point lead but ended up winning by 23 points.

Despite the big wins, head coach Don Flanagan said the first-half offense is one of the key areas UNM needs to work on.

"We're still a little hesitant in the first half about our offense," Flanagan said. "We need to get a little more activity, a little more screening on offense in the first half. The second half we seem more relaxed."

UNM point guard and offensive pacemaker Katie Montgomery is one of the many reasons the Lobos do so well in the second half. However, she also feels the burden when the opposing team takes the lead early in the game and knows it can be detrimental to winning.

"You can't spot those teams 10 points like that and expect to be able to win," Montgomery said. "I don't know what it is about us. For some reason, since conference started, we start off slow, and it's one of the things we need to work on. We got to make sure we come out confident in our shooting."

Since the start of the season, Flanagan has set some goals that are important to winning, such as keeping the opposing team under a certain amount of points.

Flanagan also said the Lobos need to make 45 percent of their shots during the game, an objective that was met against the Aztecs when the Lobos made 48.2 percent from inside the arc, and 50 percent from behind it.

It isn't just Flanagan with goals for the team - Montgomery has one she would like to see the Lobos meet more often as they progress through the MWC.

"We need to focus on coming out hard and getting a lead and keeping it the whole game," Montgomery said.

If the Lobos can start a game with the lead - and keep it - then perhaps they won't only be known as a second-half team.