Lobos Outlast UNLV on Senior Day, 68-65
Feb. 26, 2005
Extreme drama on Senior Day. In a game that featured six lead changes in the final 2:17, it was New Mexico that escaped with a heart-stopping 68-65 victory in its final regular-season home game. A boisterous crowd of 16,084 was on hand to bid farewell to three Lobo seniors and will the home team to victory.
New Mexico improves to 21-4 overall and holds on to a share of first place in the Mountain West Conference with Utah at 10-2. UNLV drops to 15-11, 6-6 in league play. The two teams also battled to a three-point margin last month in Las Vegas, the Rebels winning 63-60.
In the frenetic finish, the game wasn’t decided until freshman Dionne Marsh knocked down a pair of free throws with 0.9 seconds remaining to provide the final margin.
Trailing 54-47 midway through the second period, the Rebels clawed their way back to take a 59-58 lead on a 3-pointer by junior guard Brittney Thomas with 4:56 left. Averaging less than six points a game, Thomas finished with a career-high 19.
The two teams traded baskets and free throws the rest of the way.
Sequoia Holmes follow shot pushed UNLV back in front 63-62 with 1:47 left. Senior Mandi Moore canned a pair of free throws with 1:36 remaining and UNM regained its one-point advantage.
Thomas answered again with a jumper as the Rebels went back up 65-64 with 49.6 seconds left in the game. Junior Abbie Letz was fouled on a drive to basket with 34.3 ticks to go.
Shooting two, Letz’s first toss hit the rim, the top of the backboard, then dropped in to tie the game. She swished the second, returning the lead to the Lobos.
Moore made a huge defensive play the next time down the floor, tying up Nikki Hitchens and giving the ball back to the Lobos with 20.1 seconds left.
Moore was fouled with 18.3 seconds left and had a chance to give New Mexico a three-point lead. An 80% free throw shooter on the year, Moore missed both attempts. Lindsey Arndt grabbed the rebound on the second miss, but was tied up as possession went back to the Rebels with only 16.4 seconds to go.
UNLV point guard Sheena Moore drove the lane and put up a contested jumper that fell off. A mad scramble for the rebound resulted in the ball going off a Rebels player and out of bounds with a mere 1.5 ticks remaining. Marsh was fouled and canned both charities.
Mandi Moore and Arndt had historic days, each entering the school’s 1,000-point club.
Moore did so first when she began the second half with a 16-foot baseline jumper to kick-start a 16-5 Lobo run that erased a 29-25 halftime deficit. Moore, who finished with six points, becomes the only player in New Mexico basketball history – men or women – to eclipse 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in a career.
Arndt, who finished with a game-high 18 points on 9 of 15 shooting, became the 11th member of the exclusive club when she made a 12-footer in the lane with 10:50 left in the contest. Arndt added seven rebounds and tied a career-high with five assists.
New Mexico looked completely in control midway through the first half when it used an 11-0 run to take a 17-7 advantage. Arndt scored eight of the Lobos’ first 10 points as UNM started 8 of 13 from the field. The lead was short-lived, however, as UNLV answered with a 9-0 spurt. That turned into a 22-8 finish for the Rebels in the first half as they led 29-25 at the break.
Despite missing 11 of their first 12 shots and shooting only 29% (8-28) in the first half, the Rebels had that four-point halftime lead thanks to their prowess at the free throw line, making 11 of 12. They finished the game 14 of 15.
UNM only attempted two free throws in the first half, making both. The Lobos were also hurt by 12 turnovers in the first period.
Foul troubles were a factor for both teams. Marsh, the Lobos’ leading scorer in conference games at 14.5 ppg, picked up two fouls in the first four minutes of the game and spent the rest of the half on the bench.
She was big in the second half, though. After no points or rebounds in the first period, Marsh nearly hit her conference averages with 14 points and five rebounds while playing every minute after intermission. She had six points during that burst early in the second half.
UNLV senior forward RanDee Henry came into the game averaging 15.1 points and 8.5 boards. Eventually fouling out late in the game, Henry had just two points – tying a season-low – and six rebounds in only 18 minutes of action.
Letz added 12 points for New Mexico, 10 of those after halftime.The Lobos shots 49% for the game, including 52% (16-31) in the second half. After that horrendous start, UNLV finished the game at 39%.
Sheena Moore added 15 points for the Rebels.
The Lobos finish the regular season on the road next week with games at Colorado State Thursday and Wyoming Saturday.