The No. 5 seed West Virginia Mountaineers squeezed passed the No. 12 seed Lobos 61-60 at The Pit in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
The Lobos had trouble containing the Mountaineers' offensive threats, UNM head coach Don Flanagan said.
"They are very difficult to defend and have a lot of weapons," he said. "Their inside game is excellent, and they have shooters. They are very hard to defend because of their inside-outside game."
Although West Virginia had only two players in double-digit scoring, the Lobos could not find an answer for Mountaineers' senior Chakhia Cole. Cole went 9-of-12 from the field, scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
She scored seven of West Virginia's last nine points, including her only 3-pointer of the game. Her deep ball tied it up at 55 with 2:01 to play.
Lobo senior Dionne Marsh said Cole was an all-around threat who was clutch in the closing minutes.
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"She rebounded hard and gave a good defensive effort," Marsh said. "She played very well and was very poised toward the end."
The Lobos kept it close for the majority of the first half. There were seven ties in the first half. But with the game knotted at 29 with 2:08 remaining, West Virginia closed the half with a 7-0 run.
Flanagan said the burst of points in the final minutes of the first half was a pivotal point in the game.
"We gave up too many transition layups, and that really hurt us," he said. "We were disappointed with the last four minutes of the first half because we were playing right with them. Had we gone into halftime one or two points down rather than seven, it's maybe a different game in the second half."
The Lobos struggled scoring in the paint, with only 14 points from within the key. Meanwhile, the Mountaineers scored 28 points in the paint and grabbed 13 more rebounds than the Lobos.
Marsh was one of three Lobos in double-digits, scoring 12 points and pulling down seven rebounds. Senior Brandi Kimble scored 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out three assists. It was Kimble's third double-double of the season.
Kimble also matched a career high in points in her five NCAA Tournament appearances. She had a career-high five 3-pointers on nine attempts.
It was the final collegiate game for Marsh and Kimble. Going out at The Pit is something to be remembered, Kimble said.
"I enjoyed playing here all four years," she said. "Our fans were great. Even when we were struggling, they came out and supported us. I'm going to miss them."
