by Dorian McKenzie
Daily Lobo
After the turkey and trimmings were put away, it was time for the UNM women's basketball team to get back to business.
The Lobos feasted on the Siena Saints' defense in a 78-39 victory in the championship game of the AmeriSuites Midtown Thanksgiving Tournament at The Pit on
Saturday.
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UNM advanced to the championship game after beating the Georgia Southern Eagles 64-43 in the first round Friday.
Lobo head coach Don Flanagan said he was impressed with his team's effort Saturday.
"I really thought that might be as good a game as we've played all year," he said.
UNM junior forward Dionne Marsh reached a milestone in the victory, becoming the 14th Lobo women's basketball player to reach 1,000 career points.
With 54 seconds left in the half, Marsh was fouled by Siena's Merrick Volpe and nailed her first free throw to reach the mark.
The crowd rose to its feet, and Marsh knocked down the second one to give the Lobos a 23-point lead. She finished the game with
16 points.
Marsh reached 1,000 points faster than any player in UNM history. However, she said she cared more about the win than the milestone.
"Eventually it was going to be something that I got to, but this is one of the games that we should have won tonight," she said. "It
really didn't matter if I got it today or next semester."
Flanagan said he was happy to see Marsh reach the mark
Saturday.
"That was obvious at the beginning of the year that she was going to get 1,000 points fairly early in the season," he said. "She did a nice job tonight, and we did a much better job finding Dionne in the open area and also running our offense."
Senior guard Julie Briody led the Lobos with 19 points. She also grabbed seven rebounds and went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.
UNM's defense was helped by the speed of senior forward Timi E-Nunu, who started Satur-
day's game.
Flanagan said that E-Nunu's play was a big part of the win.
"It helped us, especially early on, getting that lead," he said. "They had a difficult time scoring, and Timi does a nice job working hard down low."
Early in the game, UNM's Katie Montgomery scored back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Lobos a 13-point lead.
The Lobos then shut down Siena's offense. They held Siena's leading scorer, guard Shondaya Burrell, to one point.
In Friday's victory over Georgia Southern, the Lobos struggled from the free-throw line but relied on tough defense to secure the win.
Marsh led the team Friday with 22 points, while Briody chipped
in 14.
Freshman Amy Beggin scored 14 points, while junior Brandi Kimble had a career-high 12 rebounds.
