Feb 19, 2004
By PETE HERRERA
AP Sports Writer
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Lindsey Arndt had 12 points and 12 rebounds, andAbbie Letz’s late 3-pointer helped New Mexico to a 49-46 victory Thursday nightover No. 25 Utah.
Letz scored with 2:25 left to make it 47-44 for New Mexico (15-7, 7-2Mountain West), which held the Utes (19-5, 9-1) without a field goal for thefinal 11 minutes of the first half.
Kim Smith had with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Shona Thorburn added 11points for the Utes. The only points the Utes got late in the first-halfdrought stretch were a pair of free throws by Smith with 6:10 left in the half,and the Lobos led 25-14 at the break.
Utah’s scoring problems continued through the first three minutes of thesecond half, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Lana Sitterud got the offenserolling.
The Utes went on a 13-3 run to cut the New Mexico lead to 33-29, but theLobos countered with seven straight points. A 3-pointer by Mandi Moore made40-29 with 9:25 left.
Utah, which had won nine straight and 13 of its last 14 games, wasn’t done.A 15-4 run, with the final two points a pair of free throws by Carley Marshall,tied it at 44 with 2:52 remaining.
Letz then hit her third 3-pointer of the game and teammate Melissa Foresscored on a baseline jumper with 1:47 left.
Smith hit two free throws and after a miss by Forest, and the Utes had afinal shot at a tie. The ball ended up in Kelsy Stireman’s hands and she misseda 3 with a second left.
Arndt, scoreless in Utah’s 52-43 win in Salt Lake City last month, got allher points and had nine rebounds in the first half. She also did a soliddefensive job on Smith in the first half, holding her to the two free throws.