by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
The past few seasons, the UNM women's basketball team was the class of the Mountain West Conference.
Picked to win the conference this year, the Lobos stumbled out of the gate and lost their first three MWC games.
However, after winning four of its last five games - including a 30-point blowout over San Diego State on Wednesday at The Pit - UNM is starting to look more like the team that was ranked in the top 25 earlier this
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season.
After the slow start to conference play, UNM head coach Don Flanagan said the Lobos are starting to come together.
"We got people playing well," he said. "As the effort continues to improve, and the execution continues to improve, I think we can play better and better. I like what this team has done to come back."
UNM now stands at 14-7 overall and 4-4 in the MWC. The Lobos are fifth in the conference, behind Utah, 7-0, Brigham Young, 6-1, and Wyoming and Texas Christian, both 5-2.
With that much catching up to do and just eight conference games remaining, it seems like a long shot for UNM to make a run at the regular season MWC title.
Although the chances of vaulting from No. 5 to No. 1 in the standings is unlikely, Dionne Marsh said the team is focused on improving each game in preparation for the conference tournament.
"Our goal is just to get better," she said. "As we get better as a team, that means we start winning more games. Hopefully, that means that when the conference tournament comes, we'll be good enough to play well and get to the (NCAA) Tournament."
The Lobos have made it to the NCAA Tournament five seasons in a row but have some work to do if they are going to return
this year.
One of the key factors to success down the stretch will be the play of Marsh. The junior was a preseason pick for MWC Player of the Year but has been slowed by an ankle injury.
In the three-game losing streak to open conference play, Marsh averaged 6.6 points and four rebounds per game. In the five games since, she has more than doubled those totals, averaging 13.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
The past two games, Marsh has recorded a double-double, including 12 points and 21 rebounds Saturday against UNLV and 21 points and 11 rebounds Wednesday against SDSU.
Marsh said she is starting to feel healthy, which might be why she has played well
lately.
"I think a big thing was my ankle was bothering me," she said. "I guess that threw off my balance and my shot and things like that. My ankle's getting stronger, and hopefully, it's helping me with my game."
One of the few bright spots during the conference losing streak was the play of the UNM defense. In their three losses, the Lobos gave up 55.3 points per game. Now that the offense has come together - averaging 70 points per game in the last five - the team is in position to add more wins.
The defense has been even stingier lately, allowing only 46.6 points per contest during the 4-1 stretch.
UNM guard Brandi Kimble said defense will be vital in the last
eight games.
"There's a lot of teams that could put up 60 to 70 points a night," she said. "The majority of teams in our conference are getting stronger, so it's very important."
UNM didn't lose confidence during the losing streak and is starting to come together, Kimble said.
"I don't think our confidence was ever down," she said. "I just think we all went through a slump. We're just more focused now. If we continue to play like this, we'll
do fine."
Women's basketball vs. Wyoming
Sunday, 1 p.m.
The Pit
