by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
After starting conference play 1-3 and losing back-to-back conference home games for the first time in 14 years, the UNM women's basketball team needed a win in the worst way.
The Lobos' three leading scorers responded by putting the team on their backs in a 60-46 win over Air Force on Thursday at The Pit.
Seniors Katie Montgomery and Julie Briody and junior Dionne Marsh all scored in double figures to lead UNM to its first home win since Dec. 21.
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Briody said it was a good feeling to celebrate in The Pit for the first time in nearly a month.
"We definitely wanted that streak to end because we weren't used to losing at home," Briody said. "I thought we did a nice job of protecting our home court tonight."
Marsh and Montgomery carried the Lobo offense early in the game, combining to score UNM's first 18 points.
Briody got hot late in the first half, scoring seven straight points over a three-minute stretch to help give the Lobos a 27-22 lead.
Although UNM missed its last seven shots of the half, Briody continued her streak after halftime. Briody, the Lobos' leading scorer at 16 points per game heading into Thursday, scored UNM's first six points to open the second half.
Marsh and Montgomery also entered Thursday's game averaging double-figure scoring, putting up 13 and 11 points per game, respectively.
After scoring just three points in a 49-48 loss to Utah on Jan. 7, Montgomery has been on a roll lately, scoring at least 16 points in each of the last three games.
Flanagan said Montgomery's play is encouraging for the Lobos.
"She's probably got to the point where she says, 'I have to play up. I have to take over and assume more of a role of scoring,'" he said. "For her, being a senior, she's probably the most motivated of all of our players."
Women's
basketball
at TCU
Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.
Fort Worth, Texas
