The UNM women's basketball team fell 41-38 to BYU on Saturday at The Pit in perhaps its worst offensive performance of the season.
The Lobos shot 16.7 percent from the field in the second half and were outrebounded 49-30.
UNM head coach Don Flanagan said poor shooting will happen, but he was disappointed with the team's effort in getting rebounds.
"Well, basically it was shooting and rebounding," he said. "We didn't rebound with them and could not just get a shot in, in the second half."
UNM - 10-9 overall and 2-4 in the Mountain West Conference - could only keep the game close with its defense.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
The Lobos forced the Cougars to commit 25 turnovers, which they turned into 17 points.
Flanagan said the offense needed to do a better job of backing up the defensive performance.
"Defensively, we did everything we needed to do," he said. "Offensively it is just disappointing, unfortunate - can't get the ball inside and have a very difficult time hitting from the outside."
Senior Dionne Marsh was the only Lobo to finish the game with double-digit scoring.
Marsh scored 11 points on just 4-of-7 shooting. Teammate Brandi Kimble, who finished with seven points, said the offensive struggles made it difficult for Marsh to get more opportunities.
"I think that we need to move the ball better, and I think sometimes we're rushing the offense a little bit," she said. "And that's why we're not able to get the ball into Dionne."
Kimble's seven points came on 3-of-11 shooting, and she managed to chip in four steals.
Sophomore Amy Beggin led the team in steals with five but couldn't find the bottom of the net. She went 0-of-12 shooting.
Flanagan said he blames fatigue and his inability to have a suitable sub for Beggin's performance.
"I can't sub for Amy," he said. "I don't have anybody I trust to sub for Amy, so I thought she tired. I needed to sub for her today, but I didn't get anybody that I felt that I could trust that could bring the ball up, and maybe I should have gone to somebody."
Beggin played the entire 40 minutes of the game and finished with four points, making 4-of-5 free throws.
Flanagan said he is not sure what caused the Lobos' lackluster performance, and he is let down by it.
He said they'll practice until it becomes automatic, so his team won't have a chance to collapse.
"I'd like to tell you I know the
answer, but I don't," he said. "I can't tell what they're going to do in a game. The main thing we have to do is go back and get them so that everything is a habit so that they can't break down, that there is no way they can break down with their nervousness or whatever they're having a problem with. But it's disappointing for them. It's disappointing for me. It's disappointing for our fans. BYU deserves a victory. They
outplayed us."
BOX
Women's basketball vs. UNLV
Saturday, 7 p.m.
The Pit
