by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
When Dionne Marsh was on the court for UNM, she was wreaking havoc on the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
Unfortunately for the Lobo women's basketball team, Marsh spent too much time on the bench when it needed her most.
The sophomore post led all scorers with 18 points, but fouled out late in UNM's 57-45 loss to UNLV. With the win, No. 6-seeded UNLV advanced to the second round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament. UNM was the No. 3 seed and are the three-time defending champions.
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The Runnin' Rebels turned the game into a schoolyard brawl, and the Lobos were unable to handle the punishment in the closing minutes. Marsh tried to fight back, but ended up fouling out with 3:44 left in the game.
UNLV head coach Regina Miller said she was thrilled with the win against UNM, especially facing someone as talented as Marsh.
"I think Dionne Marsh is one of the top players in the West," she said. "This was a great win for our program. Certainly it will give us confidence going into our game against Utah."
UNM head coach Don Flanagan said when Marsh was forced to sit on the bench the Lobos' offense sputtered.
"I kind of lost an offensive weapon," Flanagan said. "I lost somebody that was actually attacking their defense. That put us in a difficult position."
UNM held a 44-42 lead with 5:45 remaining after Katie Montgomery drained a three pointer. That would be the last field goal the Lobos could muster for the rest of the game, as they were outscored 15-1 down the stretch.
UNLV benefited from a balanced scoring attack and energetic defense. Four Runnin' Rebels scored in double figures and accounted for 47 of the team's 57 points. Forward Sherry McCracklin had a monster game, leading UNLV with 15 points and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds. Guard Sheena Moore finished with 12 points and hit a dagger of a three-pointer with 1:30 remaining to give the Runnin' Rebels a commanding 53-45 lead.
Sequoia Holmes and Nikki Hitchens were the other UNLV players in double figures, scoring 10 points each.
Flanagan said the Runnin' Rebels' versatility on offense makes them hard to defend. He also said UNLV was effective on the offensive rebounds.
"It seems like they shoot a very high percentage against us," he said. "I think most of that is a result of their second shot, not necessarily their first shot."
Abbie Letz was the only player besides Marsh to score in double figures. The senior finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, recording her seventh double-double of the season.
Flanagan said he would have liked to see the rest of the team be as aggressive as Letz and Marsh.
"Those two players were attacking the defense," he said. "The rest of our players were settling for 22-, 23-foot three-pointers."
UNM entered the game 11-3 all time in the MWC Tournament and had won nine tournament games in a row. The last time the Lobos lost in the tournament was against Brigham Young University in 2002. The last time they lost in the quarterfinal round was to UNLV in 2000.
One statistic Flanagan said hurt the Lobos in Wednesday's loss to UNLV was their lack of production at the free-throw line. UNM attempted a mere four free throws, and connected on only two.
UNLV finished 9-of-12 from the free-throw line. McCracklin finished the game a perfect 7-of-7 from the stripe.
Letz said the loss was disappointing, but hopes UNM will still be invited to the NCAA Tournament.
"It hurts," she said. "It's going to hurt for the rest of the day. We've got to keep our heads up, and hope the NCAA realizes what we did in the preconference and picks us."
