Lobos Are Champs of the MWC Again with 65-48 Win at Wyoming
March 5, 2005
Champs again. Bolstered by a 17-5 burst to open the second half, New Mexico overcame an ugly beginning to run past Wyoming 65-48 and clinch at least a share of the Mountain West Conference regular-season title for the second straight season. The Lobos will be the No. 1 seed in next week’s conference tournament, which begins Wednesday in Denver. UNM will play either San Diego State or Air Force in the first round at 12:00 p.m. (M.S.T.).
The Lobos finish the regular season 23-4 overall and 12-2 in conference play. UNM entered the day tied with Utah for first place in the MWC standings, however, New Mexico claims the top seed in the tournament because it swept the Utes during the regular season. The Lobos could claim the title outright depending on the outcome of Utah’s game at UNLV later today.
Wyoming drops to 17-10 and finishes 7-7 in the conference. The Lobos have won six straight against the Cowgirls.
Trailing 18-4 early on and 28-22 at halftime, the Lobos made their first seven shots of the second half to grab a 39-33 advantage. Freshman Dionne Marsh scored seven points during the blitz and it was her three-point play with 16:52 remaining that provided UNM with its first lead of the afternoon. The Lobos would never trail again. Marsh scored 11 of her team-high 16 points after the break and also added nine rebounds. She scored in double figures in all 14 conference games this year.
Senior Mandi Moore knocked down a 3-pointer with 12:23 to go as the Lobos surpassed their entire point total from the first half in a little less than eight minutes.
New Mexico canned 62% (15-24) of its field goals after halftime, including 6 of 10 from beyond the arc. This, after a first half that produced just 33% (8-24) shooting and 11 turnovers.
The Lobos fell behind 18-4 after a 3-pointer by Wyoming’s Sara Hippen. New Mexico was down 24-12, but used a 10-4 run over the final 3:54 of the first half to trim the halftime deficit to six points. Sophomore Katie Montgomery capped the rally with back-to-back 3-pointers.
UNM’s defense stepped up in a big way after the Cowgirls jumped to that 14-point lead. Wyoming started the game by making 8 of its first 12 attempts from the floor, but finished at just 32% (17-53) for the game. New Mexico held UW to 28 points and 9 of 41 shooting (22%) in the final 31 minutes. The Lobos also held a 23-11 rebounding edge in the second half.
Senior Lindsey Arndy chipped in with 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting from the floor.