by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
If teams are going to stop the UNM women's basketball team's offense, they are going to have to focus on stopping more than just one player.
The Lobos proved that once again in this weekend's Southwest Airlines Tournament at The Pit.
UNM won the tournament, thanks in large part to spread-out scoring. Five Lobos scored in double figures in at least one of the two games over the weekend.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Head coach Don Flanagan said he was happy the Lobos got contributions across the board.
"Everybody that played played well," he said.
In the final minutes of Saturday's tournament-clinching 72-63 victory against the University of California-Los Angeles, UNM showed its versatility when it needed it most.
With 6:34 left in the game, Dionne Marsh had already racked up 21 points.
Unfortunately for the Lobos, Marsh then picked up her fourth personal foul and had to watch the Bruins' Lindsey Plummer nail two free throws to bring UCLA within one point at 54-53.
With Marsh on the bench and UCLA the midst of a 6-0 run, it seemed like the Bruins had all the momentum in the closing minutes of the game.
However, Lobo senior guard Julie Briody took over for UNM, scoring seven straight points capped off by a 3-pointer at 4:49 to give the Lobos a 61-53 lead.
With about two minutes left in the game and UCLA's chances dwindling, UNM junior guard Brandi Kimble stole the ball, sprinted downcourt and made a fast-break layup. Kimble scored five straight points for the Lobos to help seal the victory.
Briody said the Lobos broke open the game with Marsh on the bench because of the team's depth.
"One of our leaders, as far as scoring and making her presence known on the court, goes out with a foul, so somebody's got to step up," she said. "I think we did a nice job of continuing to move the ball around, and we got open looks."
In Saturday's win, four UNM players scored in double figures. Marsh finished with a team-high 21, followed by Briody with 17. Kimble added 13, while guard Katie Montgomery scored 12.
The Lobos had the same kind of balance in their 77-41 win against Sam Houston State on Friday. Briody led the team with 15 points, while Marsh added 13.
Kimble chipped in with 12, and sophomore post Angela Hartill came off the bench to score 10.
Heading into Saturday's game against UCLA, Briody was UNM's leading scorer with 17.1 points per game. Marsh went in averaging 14.8 points per game and Montgomery 10.3 per contest. Kimble was averaging 7.9 points per game heading into the contest.
Briody said it's important for multiple players to contribute on the offensive end each game.
"So far this season, when we've had a lot of our starters in double figures, we've won games," she said. "I think that that's what we need to continue to do throughout the season."
