March begins new expectations for basketball teams. For the UNM women's basketball team it also means one thing - trying to win the Mountain West Conference Tournament.
The Lobos attempt to take the first step in reaching their goal Wednesday when they battle San Diego State University in the quarterfinals of the tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev. The Lobos, the third seed in the tournament, and the sixth- seeded Aztecs will battle for the third time this season after splitting the first two games.
UNM (17-11, 8-6 in MWC) received the third seed after finishing the regular season tied with Brigham Young University and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, but they beat UNLV in conference tiebreakers and BYU in a coin toss.
UNM and SDSU will face each other from two very different positions.
UNM is entering the tournament playing possibly its best basketball of the season, winning three out of the last four and nearly beating 13th-ranked University of Utah in the last game of the season. SDSU (13-14, 5-9) comes into the showdown having lost three straight.
"We have some momentum," UNM head coach Don Flanagan said. "I think we are playing pretty well right now because of our desire and determination. Our seniors are playing well and everyone is contributing."
In their first meeting in The Pit on Jan. 20, the Lobos led by double-digits for much of the game on their way to an easy 86-66 victory. The second meeting on Feb. 15 in San Diego was much different as each team struggled to hold on to the ball. The teams combined for 47 turnovers - 27 of those by the Lobos. The game seesawed back and forth before UNM lost 56-53.
Senior Miranda Sanchez, averaging 13 points per game, and sophomore center Jordan Adams, averaging 14.4 points per game, will be counted on to provide most of the scoring load for the Lobos. Sanchez and Adams, both second team all-conference selections, stepped up their play and had big games against the Aztecs.
Sanchez averaged 18 points and seven rebounds in the previous two contests, while Adams averaged 15 points and 5.5 blocks per game. Point guard Nikki Heckroth also had a good pair of games, averaging 6.5 assists per game - up from her conference leading 5.7 assist per game.
Flanagan said one key for his team to be successful against the Aztecs, and possibly for the rest of the tournament, is the seniors' play. Sanchez, Heckroth and forward Jennifer Williams are the most experienced Lobos, having played in three conference tournaments, including winning the Western Athletic Conference Tournament Championship in 1998. He added that the team must also come out and play with confidence and intensity.
"I expect my seniors to play well because it is their last go around," Flanagan said. "They know what to expect and hopefully the rest of the team learns from them and everybody steps up their intensity level."
The Lobos will need to contain Aztec point guard Jamey Cox, who averages 11 points per game but averaged 17.5 points against UNM. The Lobos post players also will have to find a way to stop 6-foot forward Atim Otii, who scored 19 points in the Aztec win. SDSU averages 60 points per game, second lowest in the conference, but also only gives up 61 points and is the third in the league in defending the three at 30 percent.
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Aztec head coach Barb Smith said she feels her team matches well with UNM.
She said the team will try to bottle up UNM post players on defense and she is confident her team can score some points.
"We are going to have to play a complete game defensively, all 40 minutes, because New Mexico has so many weapons," Smith said. "Offensively, I think we need to go at them with Otii inside and Jamey outside. Everybody will need to be ready to score with their changing defenses."
UNM is seeking to go further than last year when the team lost in the quarterfinals to UNLV 52-50. Flanagan said for his team, which is second in the conference in scoring at 68 points a game, to be successful they need to find a way to take care of the ball and play good defensively.
If the Lobos advance to the semifinals, it will play either second-seeded Colorado State University or seventh-seeded University of Wyoming.
UNM swept the Cowgirls, winning by scores of 57-53 at Wyoming on Jan.25 and 65-54 at the Pit on Feb. 24. The Rams and Lobos split their meetings, each winning on their home floor. CSU won the first meeting in Fort Collins, Colo. 65-58 on Jan. 27, while the Lobos rebounded with a 72-68 win at The Pit on Feb. 22.
