After looking like a well-oiled machine Friday night in upsetting ninth-ranked Texas Tech University 74-65, the UNM women's basketball team sputtered to a 77-61 loss against Oregon State University Sunday afternoon in The Pit.
The Lobos (5-2) had one day to prepare and recoup for Sunday's game and that limited time proved to be detrimental. The Lobos looked sluggish as they battled just to stay in the game, going down by as much as 21 points in the second half. UNM couldn't get its game in sync, while the Beavers (3-3) used fast breaks and steals to get the victory, ending the Lobos four-game winning streak.
Head coach Don Flanagan said that fatigue was definitely a factor in Sunday's game, but didn't blame the loss on it.
"I was concerned at half time that we were down and with the fatigue factor we might not be able to come back, and it turned out to be true," he said. "We just broke down while (Oregon State) played efficient basketball."
Senior guard Molly McKinnon shot nine-of-12 from the free throw line, scoring 13 points and dishing out three assists while junior center Jordan Adams had a team high 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots to lead the Lobos.
McKinnon said that her legs were tired after playing such an intense game against Texas Tech.
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The Beavers, led by sophomore forward Hollye Chapman's game-high 28 points and nine rebounds, showed a scrappy full court press that slowed the Lobos offense and created 15 turnovers. Sophomore guard Leilani Estavan wrecked havoc on the Lobos as well, contributing 22 points, seven assists and three steals.
Chapman isn't the Beavers normal go to player, averaging only eight points and four rebounds per game, but she was Sunday. Chapman was 11-for-18 from the field and four-of-six from 3-point range.
Adams said she thought Chapman was just getting lucky when she hit her first 3-pointer because there was nothing about her on the scouting report.
During the Beavers previous five games Chapman only made one 3-pointer in five tries.
McKinnon said that not having that much information on some of the players due to the time crunch hurt the Lobos.
"Mentally, we needed to be more prepared," she said.
UNM tried a full court press in the second half, trying to cut into the double-digit margin, but were never able to close in on the Beavers.
The Lobos could not gain any ground in the half as the teams traded baskets for the opening minutes of the second half. Midway through the second half, the Beavers took, going on a 25-10 run midway through the half to open up a 73-52 lead with just under five minutes left in the game.
McKinnon said that the loss hurts, but will not take away from what the Lobos accomplished earlier in the week, which included a win Tuesday against the University of Arizona.
The Lobos' fatigue didn't show as much in the first half as they ran with the Beavers for the game's first eight minutes, leading by four points early after a jump shot by freshman forward Lindsey Arndt.
That lead slipped away as Chapman caught fire and Oregon State answered with a 15-5 run over the next five minutes to take the lead for good, sending the Lobos into the locker room with an eight point halftime deficit at 42-34.
The Beavers leading scorer, senior guard Felicia Ragland did not score in the first half and ended with 13 points for the game.
Oregon State finished shooting 44 percent from the field, while UNM struggled with 36 percent shooting.
The Lobos are on the road for the next two games as they play against the No. 21-ranked University of Texas Thursday night at 7 p.m. and the University of Texas at San Antonio Sunday at 1 p.m.
