Lobos Stifle Utes 61-55 To Take Over MWC Lead
Jan. 22, 2005
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – In a battle of Mountain West Conference heavyweights on Saturday afternoon, the league’s premier defensive team proved to be as good as advertised. Energized by a season-high crowd of 14,890 New Mexico forced Utah into a season-high 21 turnovers and used its trademark balanced scoring attack to snap the Utes’ six-game winning with a 61-55 victory at The Pit. New Mexico improved to 14-2 overall and 3-0 in MWC play to knock Utah (14-5, 3-1 MWC) off the top of the league standings.
The game opened with a slugfest between the Mountain West’s top two defenses as the two teams combined to shoot just 4-24 from the floor during the first nine minutes. Utah, however, suddenly caught fire, hitting six straight shots after a 2-10 start. Led by junior point guard Shauna Thorburn, who scored 19 of her season-high 28 points in the first 15 minutes, the Utes took a 28-22 lead with 4:26 remaining in the opening frame.
New Mexico battled back behind freshman Dionne Marsh and sophomore Julie Briody, outscoring the Utes 11-2 over the final four minutes. Briody scored seven points in the run and combined with Marsh for 18 first half points.
The Lobos kept rolling after the break, using a 11-5 burst in the first 8 minutes of the second half to stake a 44-35 lead. UNM frustrated Utah’s Kim Smith, on the defensive end, as the Utes’ leading-scorer missed six of her first seven shots before scoring eight meaningless points in the waning minutes of the game. Thorburn, meanwhile, was reduced to a non-factor in the second half, scoring just four points in the first 19 minutes of the period. Utah entered the game with the league’s top-ranked three-point shooting team, but finished just 5-18 from behind the line (.278).
Offensively, the New Mexico depth proved to be too much as eight Lobos were in the scoring column and the Lobo bench outscored Utah’s 24-0. Marsh scored a team-high 14 in 22 big minutes in relief, while senior Lindsey Arndt notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, along with three steals. Fellow senior Mandi Moore added 10 points and seven rebounds.
New Mexico defeated Utah for the third time in the last four games and won its tenth straight at home. The Lobos return to action at UNLV on Jan. 27.