LAS VEGAS, Nev. - As the most experienced ball handler and a leader on the UNM women's basketball team, the pressure was on Amy Beggin to set the tone in the Mountain West Conference Tournament.
In Tuesday's opening round, she obliged, pumping in 18 first-half points in an 84-41 victory over No. 9 seed Air Force.
"Amy Beggin went to town on us," Air Force head coach Ardie McInelly said.
In the first half, Beggin hit 6-of-8 field goals, four from beyond the 3-point line.
"We really wanted to get out to a good start in this tournament," Beggin said. "We got our nerves a little bit in check, and I thought we did a great job coming out and starting the game strong."
The 43-23 halftime Lobo lead was enough for Flanagan to save Beggin for Wednesday's quarterfinal against Colorado State.
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"Amy got us off to a great start," Flanagan said. "She is a big-game player and . (Air Force) gave her some looks. And if she gets some pretty good looks, she is accurate with her shot."
At the start of the game, Air Force jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but Beggin put the Lobos on her back. She capped a 13-0 run for the Lobos with back-to-back 3-pointers with 15:47 left in the first period to give UNM a 13-5 lead.
"I don't think (Beggin) had to come out like that," Jessica Kielpinksi said. "Amy, honestly, she was ready and she hit all those shots. It gave us a huge boost going into the game."
Beggin was at it again later in the first half, helping the Lobos to another large run. She scored 11 points in the last 11:56 of the first half and aided UNM in a 17-6 run over the last eight minutes of the period.
Over the course of the 2008-09 season, Beggin emerged as one of the best guards in the Mountain West Conference. She averaged 14.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Beggin also spread the ball around to her teammates, finishing the season leading the Lobos in assists.
Numbers sometimes don't tell the entire story.
Beggin stepped up in the leadership role for UNM with her physical play and garnered second-team All-MWC honors.
"She has had her moments," Flanagan said.
