by David J. Chavez
Daily Lobo
If Wednesday's exhibition game was any indication, the UNM women's basketball team deserves its top-25 ranking.
The No. 20 Lobos convincingly beat NAIA institution Vanguard University, 82-43, on Wednesday in The Pit.
Head coach Don Flanagan said the team played well against a defense it won't see much during the season.
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"We probably will play against three zones all year long," he said. "I wish people would zone us because we have so many good 3-point shooters. In the second half, we kind of came to a standstill, and we weren't moving enough or active enough."
Junior Dionne Marsh had a big game, finishing with 20 points and 14 rebounds.
Senior Katie Montgomery opened the game with a 3-pointer and set the tone for the rest of the first half. The Lobos jumped out to an early 18-4 lead with some lights-out shooting from Marsh and sophomore Angela Hartill.
UNM caused Vanguard to take some tough shots and controlled the game 27-8 midway through the first half.
By halftime, UNM led, 47-18, with every Lobo seeing some action on the court.
Marsh said having young players shoulder some of the load makes it hard for opposing teams to focus on one or two players.
"It obviously helps when younger players can step up and help the team," she said. "It shows a variety, so the juniors and seniors aren't going to be taking the whole load, and that helps the older girls out a lot."
The Lobo offense wasn't as dominant in the second half, but the defense was stingy. Vanguard went 9-of-35 from the field in the second half for a dismal 25.7 field goal percentage.
With 8:03 left in the game, the Lions cut the UNM lead to 62-35 before the Lobos went on a 20-8 run to send Vanguard packing.
UNM shot 43.5 percent from the field and outrebounded the Lions, 53-42.
Marsh led the Lobos with 14 rebounds, which would have been a career high if it were a regular season game.
Marsh said she is putting in extra effort to become a better rebounder this season.
"Coach has really been on me about rebounding," she said. "He's always saying the guards shouldn't have more rebounds than the post, so I'm trying to work on that for this year."
Montgomery said it's good for the team to get some early credit because it gives it a mental boost.
The team is happy to get the recognition that comes with its ranking but can't rely on polls, she said.
"That's a compliment to us to be ranked No. 20 because it shows that we got some respect and that's what we want," she said. "But it's preseason, so you can't really tell a whole lot about those polls yet. It will give us confidence, but we're going to take it with a grain of salt."
