All those season-long inconsistencies were inconsequential Saturday.
In its best performance of the season, the UNM women’s basketball team shot 53 percent from the field and 42 percent from the 3-point line on the way to a 86-53 rout over Colorado State at The Pit.
Head coach Don Flanagan said he had been waiting for the Lobos to put on a shooting exhibition.
“Finally we had a good shooting night,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve seen this team play like that.”
The Lobos had their second-highest scoring output of the season led by freshman Jasmine Patterson, who scored a career-high 23 points, including seven 3-pointers, one shy of the school record.
Patterson said the basket seemed bigger than usual.
“We played beyond relaxed today,” she said.
Flanagan said everything was falling into place for Patterson.
“Jazz was shooting from way out there,” he said. “She’s one of the most confident players that I’ve coached.”
From the start, the Lobos jumped out to a 16-0 lead, thanks in part to senior Jessica Kielpinski’s inside shooting. Kielpinski finished with 14 points, and her interior presence complemented Patterson’s outside stroke.
After a quiet first half offensively, senior guard Amanda Best came alive, scoring all of her 13 points in the second half. Best also snatched 10 rebounds, tallying her second double-double of the season. She led the team with seven assists.
Flanagan said Best has become more of a distributor.
“I think she’s starting to understand what we need from her,”
he said.
The Lobos also understood what needed to be done on defense. A big part of its success, UNM forced CSU into 16 turnovers, which turned into 21 Lobo points. UNM also held CSU to 39 percent shooting.
Up big late in the game, the Lobos continued to take every possession seriously.
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With a 26-point lead in the middle of the second half, Kielpinski turned the ball over. CSU had a two-on-one fast break, but junior Porche Torrance hustled down the court to block an easy would-be layup.
That play, Flanagan said, was indicative of the Lobos’ play Saturday.
“Everybody played well,” he said. “I didn’t see anyone that went out there and had a bad game.”
The Lobos, 9-13 overall and 7-3 in the Mountain West Conference, hope this game leads to a strong finish.
Best said Saturday’s game is a sign of things to come.
“Right now is where you want to peak, at the end,” she said.
