Some teams exemplify the lion-lamb paradox - a ferocious, competitive beast cloaked in a sheepish, genteel veil.
NMSU is not one of those teams.
And on Thursday at The Pit, the UNM women's basketball team sheared the Aggies' lambish coats and turned them into pillows on the way to an 80-48 thrashing.
Throughout the game, NMSU did its best to look disinterested - and at times sleepy.
Noticing the Aggies were comatose, the Lobos quickly dispatched NMSU, jumping out to a 36-17 lead at half.
"We played two outstanding halves," head coach Don Flanagan said. "We were patient and poised, and we hadn't been to date. We had been nervous."
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Well, breathing is a little easier when your opponent gets no closer than 14 points in the second half.
UNM closed the first half on a 24-7 spurt that extended its lead to 19.
Four Lobos scored in double figures. Valerie Kast led the crew with a game-high 18 points, Angela Hartill donated 15 and the usually reliable Amy Beggin had four.
"I thought - what's her name? Amy Beggin played really well," Flanagan said, drawing laughs.
Beggin, who entered the night averaging 15.6 points per game, scored fewer than 10 points for the first time this season but dished out five assists despite scoring a season low.
Turns out, the Lobos didn't need her.
Extending their lead to 22, 57-35 with 11:17 left, the Lobos put it in cruise control. UNM held Madison Spencer to just seven points on 3-of-9 shooting.
But no one on the Aggie roster could get the offensive wheels churning. Shooting only 32 percent from the field, NMSU was outscored by UNM's bench by three points.
"Everybody played poised today," Hartill said. "We were encouraging (each other) on the bench. Everybody was playing hard and was really determined to get this win. It showed on the court."
Hartill said the way UNM handled was nice but that the Lobos will have a target on their back when they head down to Las Cruces to face NMSU on Dec. 20.
"It feels pretty good (to win big)," she said. "But then again, you know they're going to be gunning for us when we go down there to play them."
UNM improved to 7-1 on the season and will face North Texas on Tuesday.
Flanagan said the Lobos appear to be consistent, but that he is waiting until they face stiffer competition to gauge the team's progress.
"Consistency is the measure of a good team," Flanagan said. "We have a couple more quality games - North Texas and Texas Tech on Saturday - so ask me that question again after we play Texas Tech."
Women's basketball vs. North Texas
Tuesday, 7 p.m.
The Pit
