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SURVIVE AND ADVANCE: The New Mexico Lobos move on in the Mountain West Conference Tournament as they square off against the BYU Cougars in a semifinal game Friday afternoon. Tipoff is 1 p.m. Mountain Time from the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. The game will be broadcast live on 610 AM The Sports Animal, over the internet at www.610thesportsanimal.com and televised by KRQE-TV Channel 13 in Albuquerque.New Mexico improved its overall record to 22-7 with a 65-52 victory over San Diego State Wednesday. BYU knocked off Wyoming 82-69. UNM is the No. 2 seed, BYU No. 3. The winner will play in Saturday’s championship game against the survivor of Friday’s second semifinal between UNLV and Colorado State.Picked to finish fifth in the MWC preseason poll, the Lobos tied BYU for second place in the loop at 10-4. UNM claimed the tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed by virture of sweeping the season series from the Cougars, 58-52 in Albuquerque and 71-64 in Provo.
Probable StartersPPGRPG30Chelsea GrearF5-10Jr-2LHouston, Texas (Lutheran North HS)9.76.742Lindsey ArndtF6-1Fr-HSAlbuquerque, N.M. (Sandia HS)7.75.640Jordan AdamsC6-3Jr-2LOverton, Nev. (Moapa Valley HS)14.36.012Molly McKinnonG5-8Sr-3LOlympia, Wash. (Capital HS)7.92.721Mandi MooreG5-7Fr-HSCanyon, Texas (Canyon HS)9.64.5
MWC TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Seeds in parenthesis.
Wednesday, March 6 – Quarterfinals (all times Mountain)(2) New Mexico 65, (7) San Diego State 52(3) BYU 82, (6) Wyoming 69(1) Colorado State 79, (8) Air Force 68(4) UNLV 57, (5) Utah 38
Friday, March 8 – SemifinalsNew Mexico vs. BYU, 1 p.m.Colorado State vs. UNLV, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 9Championship Game, 4:30 p.m.
UNM’s CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT HISTORY: New Mexico is playing in its 11th postseason conference tournament. The Lobos are 10-9. After losing in the first round four straight years between 1991-94, New Mexico has advanced to at least the semifinals in six of the past seven seasons. The exception was 2000 when UNM fell to host UNLV in the quarterfinals. New Mexico is 2-3 in semifinal games. The Lobos have made it to the title game on two occasions, losing to Colorado State in The Pit in 1996 and defeating Rice for the WAC title in 1998 in Las Vegas.New Mexico is 8-4 in tournament action at the Thomas and Mack Center, including the 1998 Western Athletic Conference title when the Lobos ran the table with four straight wins. LOBOS IN NCAA/NIT: New Mexico has made four trips to postseason, all in the past four years under head coach Don Flanagan. UNM is 6-4 in postseason, 0-1 in the NCAA and 6-3 in the Women’s NIT. The ledger:
1998NCAANebraska 76, New Mexico 59 Norfolk, Va.
1999 WNITNew Mexico 81, Pepperdine 69AlbuquerqueNew Mexico 68, Washington 63AlbuquerqueDrake 73, New Mexico 60 Albuquerque
2000 WNITLong Beach State 87, New Mexico 63 Albuquerque
2001WNITNew Mexico 72, Houston 49 AlbuquerqueNew Mexico 75 , Arizona 62AlbuquerqueNew Mexico 77, UAB 55 Albuquerque)New Mexico 68, Hawaii 43Albuquerque)Ohio State 62, New Mexico 61 Albuquerque (championship)
HEAD COACH DON FLANAGAN: Don Flanagan is 144-70 into his seventh season at UNM, 96-35 at home and 48-35 away from The Pit. Flanagan is 9-5 against BYU, 6-1 in The Pit and 3-4 in Provo. He is 62-37 in conference games, 41-9 in The Pit and 21-28 on the road. Flanagan is 10-5 in conference tournaments, 8-4 in Las Vegas. Flanagan took over a struggling program in 1995 and the Lobos have improved remarkably under his guidance. They’ve captured a regular-season conference championship, a conference tournament title and made four consecutive postseason appearances, including the school’s first-ever NCAA bid in 1998. Flanagan became the school’s all-time leader in victories in less than five seasons, surpassing Doug Hoselton’s previous mark of 89 wins from 1980-87. Amazingly, Flanagan took just 133 games to reach 90 wins for his career, while Hoselton won 89 games in 194 tries. Of course winning is nothing new for Flanagan. In fact he is winning less now than in his previous job as head coach at Albuquerque’s Eldorado High School, where he compiled an astounding 401-13 record with 11 state championships in 16 years.Under Flanagan, UNM has become a consistent threat to win the conference as the Lobos have finished no worse than third in each of the past five seasons. Flanagan’s teams have become noted for their stifling defense. New Mexico has finished among the conference leaders in scoring defense every year under Flanagan and has consistently ranked in the top-20 in the nation in that category as well. Fan support has been tremendous as a result of Flanagan’s defense and intense style of play. Last season the Lobos were fifth in the nation in attendance, averaging 8,712 fans a game. The Lobos had 16,845 fans witness their loss to Utah on Jan. 7, 2001, which at the time was the largest crowd in the nation. UNM also had a sellout throng of 18,018 at the WNIT Championship game, the third-largest on-campus attendance in the nation during the 2001-02 season. In 1999-2000, UNM was sixth in the nation with an average attendance of 8,918. In 1994-95, the year before Flanagan’s arrival, Los Lobos averaged just 397 fans.
Don Flanagan Year-by-Year Record at New MexicoYearOverallConf.PlacePostseason1995-9614-156-85thnone1996-9718-108-84thnone1997-9826-710-4T3rdNCAA (0-1)1998-9924-712-2T1stWNIT (2-1)1999-0018-119-5T3rdWNIT (0-1)2000-0122-138-6T3rdWNIT (4-1)2001-0222-710-4T2nd—-Totals144-7063-37—-6-4
SEASON HONORS: Four Lobos were recognized when the Mountain West Conference handed out individual awards on March 5:
Jordan Adams (Jr.)2nd team all-MWCLindsey Arndt (Fr.)Honorable mention all-MWCChelsea Grear (Jr.)Honorable mention all-MWCMandi Moore (Fr.)MWC Newcomer of the Year3rd team all-MWC
Adams was named second team all-conference for the second straight year. Moore is the second Lobo to garner Newcomer of the Year honors. Adams won the award following her freshman season in 1999-2000.
UNM VS. BYU: The Cougars have a commanding 31-14 lead in the series, however, New Mexico has won 3 straight and 7 of the last 10. The series is tied at 11-11 in The Pit. BYU has a huge 19-3 edge in Provo, but the Lobos have won their last two at the Marriott Center. Their only other win their came during the 1997-98 season, 67-64.
BYU Probable Starters F 21 Jennifer Leitner, 6-1, Jr. F 31 Lisa Osguthorpe, 6-0, Sr. F 51 Danielle Chessman, 6-2, Fr. G 11 Erin Thorn, 5-10, Jr. G 22 Stacy Jensen, 5-6, Sr.
Head Coach: Jeff Judkins (Utah ‘78; first year at BYU)
CLAMPS ON THE COUGARS: UNM has done a good job this year against BYU, one the nation’s top 3-point shooting teams. The Cougars made 7 of 22 (32%) shots from long range at Provo, below their season averages of 8.5 and 42.5% accuracy at the time. In two games against the Lobos this season, BYU has shot just 32.5% (41-126) from the floor, including 13 of 45 (29%) from 3-point.
Jan. 17 at Albuquerque: New Mexico held the nation’s most proficient 3-point shooting squad to just 6-23 accuracy from long range, and picked up a 58-52 win over the Cougars. The game began with eight lead changes in the first 11:30. Over the next six minutes the Lobos asserted themselves on defense, resulting in a 10-0 run and a 30-25 halftime lead. UNM owned the first 12 minutes of the second half, outscoring BYU 17-6 to take a commanding 47-31 lead. The Cougars clawed back, going on an 18-4 run, which included four three-pointers, and cutting the Lobo lead to two, 51-49, with 2:24 left. UNM finally put away the Cougars with a dramatic offensive rebound and 3-point play by Chelsea Grear with 1:14 remaining.UNM was lead in scoring by Jordan Adams with 13 points, 6 rebounds and a team-high 4 assists before fouling out for the first time this year. Mandi Moore added 12 points, a team-high 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in 39 minutes. Lindsey Arndt had 11 points and five rebounds.BYU’s leading scorer, Erin Thorn, came into the game averaging 18 points, but was held to just 8 on 3-12 shooting from the field. Thorn’s problems from beyond the arc mirrored those of her team, as she shot just 2-10 from long range.
Feb. 16 at Provo: Jordan Adams made her first four shots of the second half to spark a 13-5 run, allowing UNM to come away with a 71-64 victory at BYU. Adams finished with a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. She scored just five points in the first half, missing 8 of 10 shots from the floor, but rebounded in the second period by tallying 13 points on 6 of 11 shooting. Adams scored nine points during the decisive run as UNM increased a 30-24 halftime lead to 43-29 with 15:40 left.BYU trimmed the margin to five (56-51) with 1:58 left, but UNM made some keys shots and free throws down the stretch to keep the Cougars at bay.Adams was one of three Lobos to record a double-double. Point guard Mandi Moore recorded 15 points and a career-high 10 rebounds while Chelsea Grear contributed 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. UNM outrebounded BYU 51-37.
LAST GAME: Jordan Adams led three Lobos in double figures with 16 points, guiding New Mexico to a 65-52 victory over San Diego State in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Chelsea Grear contributed 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds while freshman Lindsey Arndt added 13 points. UNM took an early 9-2 lead as four different Lobos scored. However, over the next eight minutes New Mexico missed 12 of 13 field goals. The Aztecs took advantage of the Lobos’ cold shooting, using a 13-2 run to grab a 15-11 advantage with 8:44 left in the first half. San Diego State increased its lead to 22-17 following a basket by Jamey Cox, but the Lobos closed the first half with a 15-5 burst for a 32-27 lead at the break. Chelsea Grear and Melissa Forest had key 3-pointers during the spurt.Arndt started the second half with a pair of baskets – one a 3-pointer – as UNM opened up a 37-27 lead. A 6-0 run handed UNM its largest lead at 50-36 with 6:49 remaining in the game, but the Aztecs mounted one last charge. Claire Swinbank’s jumper with 3:11 remaining capped a 9-0 burst as the Lobo lead was whittled to just five points at 50-45. Placed at the foul line in the closing minutes, the Lobos made 11 of 14 free throws in the final 2:55.The Lobos shot just 40.4% (21-52) from the floor, but outrebounded the Aztecs 44-25, including 14-4 on the offensive glass. UNM has recorded double-digit rebounding margins in four of its past five games. San Diego State shot 52% (9-17) in the first half, but went nearly 12 minutes in the middle of the game without a field goal; the final 5:24 of the first half and the first 6:16 of the second period. The Aztecs shot only 35% (11-31) in the second half and 41.7% (20-48) for the game.
ANOTHER ATTENDANCE RECORD?: Provided the Lobos do not play another home game that could drop their attendance average, they will set a school record of 9,229 fans a game. The single-season record is 8,918 was 1999-2000. UNM had five crowds in excess of 10,000 in 2001-02.
20 WINS AGAIN: New Mexico has logged its second straight 20-win season and fourth overall under head coach Don Flanagan. The Lobos were 26-7 in 1997-98, 24-7 in 1998-99 and 22-13 last year. The four 20-win campaigns have come in the past five years as UNM is now 112-45 (71.3%) since the 1997-98 season, an average of 22.4 wins a year. UNM had never won 20 games in a season prior to Flanagan’s arrival seven years ago. The 21 wins tied for the second-most during the regular season. UNM won 22 in 1997-98 and 21 in 1998-99.
UNM VS. RANKED TEAMS: UNM is 2-3 against ranked opponents in 2001-02 with wins over then-No. 8 Texas Tech and then-No. 18 Colorado State. The losses have come against No. 12 Colorado, No. 17 Texas and No. 20 Colorado State. The Lobos are 4-15 against ranked foes under head coach Don Flanagan. The 74-65 win against Texas Tech snapped an eight-game skid against nationally-ranked teams.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS: The Lobo women’s basketball team combined for a 3.19 grade-point-average during the 2001 fall semester. That followed a 3.23 GPA in the spring semester of 2001, which is the highest average since the school began tracking grades in the fall of 1988.
KUDOS FOR LOBOS FANS: From ESPN.com women’s college basketball editor Melanie Jackson:
“Best Fans: All fans, whether they’ve watched the game live for 10 years or just been to their first game this season, are winners in our book. Picking one group is tough, especially since so many teams drew record crowds this season. And while some say there are no better fans than those found in Knoxville or Storrs, we’re leaning toward those loco Lobos fans. New Mexico ranks fifth in attendance this season, averaging just less than 10,000 fans. The Jan. 6 game against UNLV ranks as the fifth-best atttended game (17,215 fans) this season. But it’s the top drawing game that didn’t feature either Tennessee or UConn. Even a blizzard didn’t stop them from packing the house.”
COMEBACK KIDS: Five times this season New Mexico has won despite trailing by at least nine points. The comebacks:
OpponentDeficitTimeFinal ScoreArizona36-2618:32, 2ndWon, 75-67Utah45-3216:14, 2ndWon, 66-55Colorado State28-126:51, 1stWon, 56-50San Diego State26-174:51, 1stWon, 63-53at Wyoming24-1511:41, 1stWon, 70-61
QUEENS OF THE BOARDS: New Mexico has a +6.6 rebound margin this season – best in the MWC – and has been out-boarded only three times this season. Some tidbits about the Lobo glass-eaters:
•The Lobos are 21-3 when they outrebound their opponent
•UNM has outrebounded its opponent in 14 straight games…the last team to get more caroms than UNM was UNLV on Jan. 6…the Lady Rebels had 47 rebounds to the Lobos’ 36
•UNM has recorded double-digit rebound margins 7 times this season, including 4 of the last 5 games…the Lobos’ rebound margin the past 5 games is +61, or 12.2 a game
•Five Lobos are averaging at least 4 rebounds a game
•Three Lobos registered double figures in rebounds in the win at BYU: Chelsea Grear (11), Jordan Adams (10) and Mandi Moore (10)
•Grear has 195 rebounds and could become the first Lobo since Katie Kern (214) and Anita Vuletic (205) in 1996-97 to haul down 200 boards in a season
•Chelsea Grear logged her team-leading 4th double-double of the season and the 5th of her career at BYU…she has recorded double-figure rebound totals 6 times this season
SEASON NOTES: •Molly McKinnon has played in 123 career games, starting 103…Jordan Adams has played in 93 games with 74 starts
•McKinnon has 910 career points…Adams has 506 career rebounds
•The Lobos have held opponents to less than 50% shooting from the floor in 51 straight games…the last team to make at least half its shots against New Mexico was Oregon State…the Beavers made 50% (26-52) in Corvallis on Dec. 28, 2000
•The last conference foe to shoot at least 50% against New Mexico was Colorado State on Jan. 29, 2000…the Rams made 50.9% (27-53)…the streak is 37 games entering the 2002-03 season
•Statistical Trends: New Mexico is 21-0 when leading with five minutes left in the game, 17-1 when it outshoots its foe, 16-2 when playing on a weekday, 16-3 when playing at night and 15-2 when it commits fewer turnovers
•With 6 assists against San Diego State, Mandi Moore has moved into 3rd place for single-season assists with 139…she passed Tamika Stukes (134 in 1997-98 and 136 in 1995-96)…Nikki Heckroth is the season leader with 194 in 2000-01 followed by Lori McConnell, 169 in 1980-81
•Moore set a career-high with 10 boards at BYU and came within 2 assists of a triple-double…her 8 assists were the most since she had 8 against New Mexico State on Dec. 18
•Melissa Forest averaged 8.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 19.1 minutes in 14 MWC games…her non-conference averages in 16 games were 3.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 11.1 minutes•UNM shot 51% (25-49) from the floor against Air Force, its 3rd-best accuracy of the season and best in 20 games, since making 34 of 60 (57%) at UTEP on Nov. 23
•The Lobos established a season high against Air Force with 12 three-pointers, which matches the second-best effort in school history…the record is 15 vs. BYU on Feb. 1, 1996…New Mexico was 12-25 (48%) from downtown en route to its highest point total (78) in 12 games
•New Mexico’s 53-point victory at UTEP (98-45) earlier this season ties for the second-largest winning margin in school history…the Lobos defeated West Texas State 103-49 in Canyon, Texas, on Nov. 17, 1979
TOUGH “D”: In home victories over Colorado State and Wyoming, the Lobos held both teams to their lowest point totals and shooting performances of the season. CSU scored 50 points and shot just 38.1% from the floor. The Cowgirls were limited to 41 points and 21.5% shooting.New Mexico entered the Mountain West Conference Tournament 1st in the MWC in scoring defense (56.7 ppg), 1st in FG percentage defense (35.4%), 1st in rebound margin (+6.1) and 1st in blocked shots (5.4 a game).
UNM AT HOME: New Mexico is 14-3 at home this season, the only setbacks coming against No. 12 Colorado, Oregon State and UNLV.
ROAD NUMBERS: Including neutral games, the Lobos are a solid 8-4 away from The Pit this season. Two of the setbacks came against nationally-ranked foes, Texas and Colorado State. UNM also fell at UNLV and Utah. During the 26-7 season in 1997-98, New Mexico was an amazing 12-4 away from Albuquerque.
BACK AT YA: Led by junior Jordan Adams, the Lobos lead the Mountain West Conference with 154 blocks, a figure that ranks second-best by a UNM team for a season. The season record for rejections is 166 set last year.Twice this season, New Mexico has tied the school’s single-game record by swatting away 13 shots: the season opener against Pacific and Feb. 2 against Wyoming. UNM also had 13 blocks against Texas Tech on Jan. 13, 1978.Adams set a Women’s Preseason NIT record with seven blocks against Pacific on Nov. 9. She established a career-best with eight against Air Force on Feb. 7. Adams is the UNM women’s career leader in rejections with 256. She has 90 blocks this season. Her single-season school record set last year is 98.
SHE DID IT: Adams became only the ninth player in school history to reach to the 1,000-point mark for her career when she nailed a free throw against Portland State on Dec. 15. Adams is only one of three players to get to 1,000 points during her junior year. She ranks 6th all-time at UNM with 1,252 points.
WHERE ADAMS RANKS: Jordan Adams in the UNM record book:
Career Blocked Shots (for both men and women)1. Luc Longley–3362. Jordan Adams–2563. Kenny Thomas–239Career Scoring1. Abby Garchek–1,8362. Alison Foote–1,6723. Jean Rostermundt–1,4444. Yvonne McKinnon–1,4205. Miranda Sanchez–1,3016. Jordan Adams–1,252
17,215 THANK-YOUS: The Lobos’ game against UNLV on Jan. 6 was televised on ESPN2. A crowd of 17,215 was able to make the trip to The Pit to watch the game. A the time, it was the second-largest crowd in women’s basketball in 2000-01.
MORE HONORS/AWARDS: Adams was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week twice this year and she was also chosen MVP of the Southwest Airlines Lobo Shootout on Dec. 22. Chelsea Grear and Mandi Moore were also named Southwest Airlines all-tournament.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: Adams had her first double-double of the year against Pacific with 21 points and 10 rebounds. She had three double-doubles last year and has six for her career. Junior Chelsea Grear has registered a team-high four double-doubles for the year and five for her career. Freshman Mandi Moore logged a double-double in her first collegiate game with 15 points and 10 assists in the season-opener against Pacific. The last time a New Mexico player had 10 or more assists was last season when Nikki Heckroth had 11. Moore also had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win at BYU. Lindsey Arndt has joined the d-d party twice after garnering 17 rebounds and 14 points against Arizona and 15 points and 10 rebounds against Colorado State.
IT’S ALL ON THE BENCH: Head coach Don Flanagan regularly uses his reserves as eight Lobos have played in all 29 games while 10 have seen action in at least 26 contests. Eight Lobos are averaging at least 15 minutes a game.
FANTASTIC FROSH: The Lobos have three freshmen who have contributed greatly this year. Mandi Moore has started every game at the point, Lindsey Arndt has started all but one at power forward and guard Stephanie Shaw has seen action in every contest. The three players have combined to score 585 points (20.2 ppg), grab 364 rebounds (12.6 rpg) and dish out 235 assists (8.1 apg).Moore leads the MWC in assists (4.8) and is among the leaders in several other categories: 2nd in assist-to-turnover margin (1.77), 3rd in 3-point FG% (41.9), 8th in defensive rebound average (4.14), 9th in steals (48), 10th in FG% (47.1), 13th in 3-point FGs (1.11 a game) and 20th in scoring (9.8 ppg). She also leads the team in minutes played as well.Arndt has had two double-doubles this season and had 14 points and 17 rebounds in her fifth collegiate game against Arizona. She ranks third on the team and 12th in the league in rebound average (5.6).
MARGIN OF VICTORY: The Lobos have had eight games this year where the margin of victory has been at least 20 points and four games where it was 30 or more. The average winning margin is 11.9 points.
THE INVITATION IS IN THE MAIL: Junior Jordan Adams competed for a chance to represent the USA in the World University Games last summer. She spent three days vying for a spot at the Olympic headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Adams competed against 32 of the nation’s top women’s basketball players. Adams was the only player from the MWC given an invite to the trials.
LONE STAR STATE OF MIND: Of the 12 players on UNM’s roster, six hail from Texas. Stephanie Shaw, Brittany Wolfgang, Mandi Moore, Chelsea Grear, Daja Adams and Lauren McLeod all call the Lone Star state home. THIS JUST IN: UNM signed three players to national letters of intent during the early signing period. The group includes: Abbie Letz (El Paso, Texas), a 6-1 post who averaged 19 points and 8 rebounds at Hanks High School; Tiana Johnson (Roswell, NM) a 5-10 post who averaged 24 points and 9 rebounds at Goddard High School; Jana Francis (Canadian, Texas) a 6-2 post player who averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds at Canadian High School.
THE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE: The MWC was conceived on May 26, 1998, when eight teams announced they were breaking away from the Western Athletic Conference. Those teams — Air Force, Brigham Young, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV, Utah and Wyoming — brought immediate credibility to their new league.Last year, the Lobos finished in a tie for third place. Utah won the regular season title but it was the Colorado State Rams that won the tournament. CSU and Utah both advanced to the NCAA Tournament while UNM, UNLV, BYU and San Diego State played in the WNIT.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HOSTS: The University of New Mexico will host the 2003 NCAA Women’s Basketball Midwest Regional. The dates are March 29 and 31. It will be the first time UNM has hosted a women’s NCAA tournament game. The Pit has hosted the NCAA men’s tournament seven times. Men’s action returns to Albuquerque for the 2002 First and Second Rounds on March 14 and 16, and the West Regional on March 24 and 26, 2005.
LOBO HISTORY: The Lobos are in their 24th season of competition. The first women’s basketball game at UNM was played on Jan. 10, 1974, a 79-45 loss to Gallup. The all-time record is 326-328. UNM played continuously from 1974-87 before the program was dropped for four seasons from 1988-91. Since its reinstatement before the 1991-92 season, the Lobos are 158-166, but 144-70 in six-plus years under Don Flanagan, who has posted five straight winning seasons.