by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
Don Flanagan thought his team was preparing for a basketball game.
But instead, the UNM women's basketball team got a fight.
The Lobos survived one of its most brutal shooting performances of the season Saturday at The Pit, pulling away from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas 60-47.
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While the final score suggests the No. 18 Lobos coasted to victory, it wasn't until the second half that they were able to put UNLV (12-6 overall, 4-3 Mountain West Conference) in their rearview mirror. And although the Lobos (16-4, 6-1) came out with another victory, they also left with a few bumps and bruises.
"That was a very physical game, and hopefully we got out of it without too many injuries," Flanagan said.
The Lobos came out of the gate sluggish on offense, missing their first 10 field-goal attempts. As the game went on, UNM's shooting didn't improve much. The Lobos shot 21 percent from the field in the first half and a season-worst 28 percent for the game.
Still, UNM was able to ride its defense to victory in this game. The win over UNLV marked the Lobos' 31st consecutive home-court MWC victory.
The Runnin' Rebels were able to jump out to a 9-0 lead after a Sherry
McCracklin field goal with 16:47 left in the first half. Katie Montgomery jump-started the Lobo offense with three consecutive three-point field goals, closing the gap to 11-9.
The Lobos were able to take a 24-20 halftime lead thanks to a swarming defense and tremendous rebounding. UNLV was held to 35 percent shooting and had eight turnovers in the first half. Meanwhile, UNM grabbed 14 offensive rebounds in the first period while UNLV managed just two. That led to UNM having a 14-3 advantage in second-chance points in the first half.
Flanagan said it was crucial for the Lobos to take over in those areas in order to come out with a win.
"That's the key to the game right there," he said. "We didn't run our offense particularly well, they took us out of it. It was due to their defense. Consequently, what we had to do was make sure we defended with the same intensity, and I thought we did that."
Montgomery was the leading scorer for the Lobos and finished the game with 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
After starting slow, Dionne Marsh had a big day, finishing the game with 15 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Marsh was a big key to the Lobos' second-half offensive surge as she scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds after halftime.
While her offense was key, Flanagan said he was also impressed with Marsh's play on the defensive side of the ball.
"Dionne played the best defense I've ever seen her play," Flanagan said. "That was just outstanding defense."
As a team, UNM put on a defensive showcase. The 47 points UNLV scored is a season-low.
Marsh said it's comforting to know the Lobos have defense to fall back on when they're not doing well offensively.
"It's great because you want to be a well-rounded team and whenever you can rely on something like that, it shows the character of your team," she said.
