by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
There were a couple hiccups at the beginning of the season, but the UNM women's basketball team is getting itself back on track.
The 4-2 Lobos are riding a three-game winning streak after a two-game skid earlier in the season, and they look more like the team that was a preseason pick to win the Mountain West Conference.
After defeating No. 25 Texas on Nov. 18, UNM has defeated its last two opponents by a combined 60 points.
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Head coach Don Flanagan said the victory over the Longhorns did a lot for the Lobos' mind-set.
"Anytime you can beat a really good team, it gives you confidence," he said. "It gives you a little momentum."
Senior guard Julie Briody was happy with the win over Texas.
"I think it boosted our confidence a lot," she said. "We were coming off two really hard losses. It was a good win for us."
UNM started the season ranked in the Top 25 after advancing to the NCAA Tournament last season.
However, after losing to Florida in the first round and losing seniors Abbie Letz, Jana Francis and Judy Vogt, the Lobos had to reload and prepare for this season.
UNM also lost in the first round of the MWC Tournament in Denver last season, despite being considered one of the conference favorites.
With veterans Briody, Dionne Marsh, Katie Montgomery, Brandi Kimble and Timi E-Nunu, just to name a few, the Lobos have players who have played in big games before.
One of the keys to making a run at this year's MWC Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament relies on the development of the younger players,
Flanagan said.
In Saturday's 78-39 victory over Siena, a lot of inexperienced Lobos saw action late in the game.
At one point, the Lobos had four freshmen and a sophomore on the court.
Flanagan said he was glad to give the younger players valuable playing time early in the season.
"Players aren't going to improve unless they get an opportunity to play a little bit," he said. "They got to play a little bit. And they were playing against their starters mostly. I tried to get all freshman in there at the same time, so they could get to understand how to work together a little bit."
Marsh is happy with how the season is turning around and is glad to see the whole team getting involved, she said.
"It's going pretty well," she said. "We have the freshman playing a few minutes and getting used to things, and hopefully, our season can continue to progress."
Briody said the team is focused on winning the conference this season and trying to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.
"Our goal every year is to win the Mountain West Conference Championship," she said. "That's the thing that we have to get to first. But, of course, we always look to take care of business during the season, so we can get that berth into the NCAAs. We're hoping we can get past what we did last year."
