by Adrian Doerfler
Daily Lobo
LAS CRUCES - The UNM women's basketball team was plagued by turnovers and poor shooting in Saturday's 58-42 loss to NMSU.
It is the first loss for the Lobos in the series in 11 seasons.
UNM, which fell to 5-2 on the season, was outscored 36-18 in the second half.
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Sophomore guard Amy Beggin led the way for the Lobos with 16 points. Senior forward Dionne Marsh had 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Head coach Don Flanagan said NMSU beat the Lobos in every aspect of the game.
"We got outworked, outhustled, outrebounded and outexecuted," he said. "They were certainly
prepared for us, and they played a great game."
The Lobos shot 21 percent from the field on 11-of-53 shooting and had 21 turnovers.
Flanagan said the Aggies' tough defense and speed hurt the Lobos the most.
"We had a real hard time shooting the ball because of their defensive pressure," he said. "Their quickness inside bothered us. When Dionne put the ball on the floor, they doubled up on her very quickly."
The Lobos jumped out to an 11-4 lead four minutes into the game, but that's the largest margin UNM could muster. The Lobos took a slight edge into halftime with a 24-22 lead.
After halftime, NMSU
exploded for 12 straight points and never looked back.
UNM played its worst half of basketball this season in the second half, shooting 4-for-27 from the field, including 0-8 from behind the arc.
The Lobos were executing their game plan, but poor shooting seemed to be contagious, senior guard Brandi Kimble said.
"We were getting good looks. They just weren't falling for us," she said. "We just have to get back in the gym and go to work."
One spot where the Lobos need to improve is rebounding, as the Aggies had 26 points in the paint to the Lobos' eight.
But it was the Aggies' 15 points off of turnovers and team speed that impressed Flanagan.
"Their quickness bothered us more than how physical they were," Flanagan said. "They played with a lot of intensity. Even the players who came off the bench played
real well."
The Lobos get another shot at the Aggies on Dec. 21 at home and will look to start another win streak against the rival.
"They played a great game, and now they have to come to our place," Flanagan said. "We'll see if we can make some adjustments and play a little better."
