Despite averaging 14.5 turnovers per game, the UNM women's basketball team hasn't had many games where turnovers were a deciding factor.
But on Tuesday at The Pit against North Texas, turnovers nearly cost the Lobos a win, as they barely scraped by 66-63.
Still, Eileen Weissmann shook free of her defender and scored in the paint to put the Lobos up - for good - at 65-63.
"Sara (Halasz) set a back screen for me, and Amy (Beggin) drove to the baseline and - off Sara's backscreen - I was wide open," she said. "My teammates got me open for that shot."
The Lobos made turnover in the American job market seem minimal as they coughed up the ball 19 times.
The Mean Green scored 24 points off UNM's 19 turnovers.
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"Watching them on tape is deceiving," Flanagan said. "They're much quicker than they look on tape. And they're quick at every position. So, when you're trying to break their press, you don't have a mismatch quickness-wise."
In the end, it was more turnovers - this time two crucial ones by North Texas in the last two minutes - that cost the Mean Green a chance to win, as the Lobos staved off North Texas.
Down 63-59 with 2:14 left, North Texas' Mansa El was stripped of the ball by Halasz, who outleted to Amanda Adamson to even the score at 63.
Adamson had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Less than a minute later, Weissmann added two of her 14 points to put the Lobos up 65-63. The Mean Green couldn't even get off a shot on their next possession, as a turnover by Tricia Lee all but iced the game.
Beggin made one of two free throws to put the Lobos up 66-63 with eight seconds left.
Brittney James, who was one of two players in double figures for the Mean Green with 14 points, missed a game-tying 3-pointer. Amber Jackson was the only other North Texas player in double figures. She chipped in a double-double, scoring 22 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.
The lead changed 11 times, and the score was tied seven times.
"They took us out of our offense," Flanagan said. "Down the stretch, though, we performed well."
After being held to a season-low four points against NMSU, Beggin led the Lobos with 18 points.
Flanagan said he is worried about giving Beggin too much of a workload, however.
"When she has to do so much - when she has to bring the ball up and then be our main scorer, then get some rebounds and then defend real hard - that's difficult for her," Flanagan said.
UNM will face Texas Tech on Saturday.
"It's going to be a similar game," Flanagan said. "Hopefully, it's not as close, because those games make you old. Fortunately, I'm young."
