LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Air Force wasn't expected to be the toughest opponent for the UNM women's basketball team, but if the defense can repeat its performance, the Lobos can hang with anyone.
No. 4 seed UNM held No. 9 Air Force to 23 points on 23 percent shooting in the first half, and coasted to an 84-41 victory in Tuesday's opening round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.
The Lobos move on to the second round of the conference tournament today to face Colorado State.
The few Air Force fans in attendance at the Thomas and Mack Center had little to be hopeful for.
The Falcons went winless in conference play in the regular season and then faced the league's back-to-back tournament champions, the Lobos.
By the 15:49 mark in the first half, the Lobos had swiftly scored 13 unanswered points. UNM closed the half on a 14-4 burst aided by 18 first-half points from Amy Beggin. Beggin played a little more than five minutes in the second half before head coach Don Flanagan decided to rest her.
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"I thought we were working the ball really well," Beggin said. "We struggled with some zones this year, but in the last couple games, we did pretty well. I just give that credit to my teammates for finding me when I was open."
It was a case of inside-out play, with Beggin's molten shooting opening up things in the paint. UNM had 20 points in the lane in the second half, compared to just 12 in the first half.
Beggin, however, did her damage in the first half, thriving off of Air Force's porous zone defense and sinking 4-of-6 3s. But the Falcons couldn't contain the Lobos when they switched to man-to-man, either.
"I didn't give her any rest in the first half," head coach Don Flanagan chuckled. "We had a nice cushion, and I was really hoping that the first four minutes of the second half we could expand that lead a little bit and I could get her out."
The Lobos led by as much as 45 points in the second half. The undersized Falcons were hard-pressed to get a rebound, as the Lobos skied for 22 first-half boards to the Academy's nine. UNM converted those rebounds into 16 second-chance points, finishing with 24 in the game.
"It seemed like every time we went to the boards, they were just there," Air Force's Liz Dunsworth said.
With Beggin already blowing up, Angela Hartill added to the Falcons' agony, adding 11 points, while Jessica Kielpinski played 25 minutes and chipped in 13.
Flanagan, however, said he was most pleased with Amanda Best, who relieved Beggin of her point-guard duties early in the second half.
"As soon as I got Amy out, Amanda Best played very well at the point," he said. "She's not accustomed to playing the point . but she played really well. Amy wasn't getting back in. The most important thing is that we got everybody a rest."
Air Force was out-matched, even though it fought valiantly for the first few minutes of the first half.
"Our players - they made a good effort the last 10 minutes of the game," the Falcons' Ardie McInelly said, choking up. "It's kind of been typical what we did all year. We played in spurts of the game, and we found ourselves doing that today."
But UNM had much to do with limiting the Academy's offensive spurts. And, as Flanagan was quick to point out, the Lobos are the presiding tournament champs.
"I thought some people were discounting us," he said. "I certainly think this is a very good team. We have some players that have played in this tournament and won this tournament before. So, I think they feel comfortable playing in this environment. I thought today we proved we can match up with most teams."
Women's Basketball vs. Colorado State
Today, 5:30 p.m.
Thomas and Mack Center
Las Vegas, Nev.
