LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Amy Beggin has been terrific all year for the UNM women's basketball team, but her season might be remembered for two missed free throws in a 55-54 loss to Utah in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament on Friday.
But it shouldn't be.
The second-leading free throw shooter in the MWC conference during the 2008-09 season missed two crucial shots at the line that could have sent UNM to the championship game for the third straight year, but both rimmed out.
"I thought Amy played a great game," head coach Don Flanagan said. "It's just that, under normal circumstances, she hits those two free throws, but she didn't. The game's over, and we move on."
Instead the Lobos will head back to Albuquerque after suffering the gut-wrenching loss to top-seeded Utah.
"Amy played her heart out," Angela Hartill said. "Everybody on our team played their hearts out. I absolutely trust Amy to have the ball at all times during that kind of situation during the game."
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Utah's Halie Sawyer rebounded Beggin's second miss.
MWC Player of the Year Morgan Warburton rushed down the court, drove the lane and hit a running floater. It gave the Utes the one-point advantage with four seconds remaining.
Utah denied UNM a bid in the MWC championship game, storming back from a 10-point halftime lead.
"Amy had an exceptional game, and I probably gave her too many things to do," Flanagan said. "She has to play the best player on the floor defensively. She's got to bring the ball up and start our offense."
Beggin led UNM in scoring with 15.1 points per game. She capped her junior year going 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. She hit a 3-pointer in 29 of the Lobos 32 games and was held under double digits only twice this season.
In Wednesday's game against Colorado State, Beggin recorded the first double-double of her career, scoring 20 points and brining down 10 rebounds. Friday, Beggin finished with 16 points and four rebounds. She played all 40 minutes against Utah.
"Amy did all she could do," Hartill said. "Everyone did all that they could do."
