The UNM women's basketball team already touts stifling defense, ranking seventh in the nation in points allowed, but with a 78-48 blowout of the Air Force Academy Thursday it showed the offensive isn't far behind.
The Lobos (18-5, 7-2 in the Mountain West Conference) held the Falcons (4-17, 0-8) to 28.6 percent shooting, while they shot the lights out by hitting 48 percent from the 3-point arc and 51 percent overall.
The freshman played like veterans with forward Lindsey Arndt setting a career-high with 16 points and point guard Mandi Moore scoring 15 points, nine from 3-point range, and dishing out four assists.
UNM also got instant offense off the bench with junior guard Cristal Garcia draining three of the teams 12 shots from behind the arc. Junior center Jordan Adams blocked a career high eight shots and passed former Lobo and NBA player Kenny Thomas in the books to move into second in career blocks at UNM.
The Lobos picked apart the Falcon zone with quick passes, finishing with 23 assists on 25 made shots, led by Adams game high six assist. UNM used quick reverse and skip passes to confuse the Air Force defense and open up the offense. Nine players had assists, helping four players finish in double figures.
Head coach Don Flanagan said the team was focused on getting open shots.
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"We tried to form a diamond around one side," he said. "I was hoping we could keep doing that (making the open shots). The key to the future is to hit some shots and play aggressively"
Flanagan added that the team is starting to be more aware of where teammates are on the court and are gaining more confidence.
The game was never close as UNM scored the first 13 points of the game, holding the Falcons scoreless for the first five minutes. The Lobos would continue to punish the Falcons, pushing the lead to 33-5 before Air Force knew what hit them. The Lobos led at the half 41-15, which marks the lowest points allowed by UNM in a half this season.
All 12 Lobos played in the rout and 11 of them scored.
Arndt said that the offense was running smooth against the Air Force zone.
"We were cutting hard (to the basket)," she said.
Air Force burst out the second 20 minutes with a little more offense, go on a little run of its own. The Falcons used an 11-0 run, but it barely scraped at the damage caused in the first half, as the Lobos still led 55-33 with more than 12 minutes remaining in the game.
Although his team rolled over the Falcons, Flanagan said Air Force will upset a couple of teams.
"They really have improved under their new coach," he said.
Another highlight for UNM came with 12 seconds left when freshman guard Brittany Wolfgang, who has just recovered from an injury that sidelined her last season, scored her first points of the season on a free throw.
The game was not without suspense. Junior forward Chelsea Grear tumbled to the ground in the middle of the second half and had to be helped off the court a minute later. She did not return to the game.
Flanagan said she will be alright.
"She got a knee in the upper thigh," he said. "She has a bruise, but she is fine."
Air Force was led by freshman guard Latoya Howell, who scored 15 points. She was the only Falcon to finish in double figures.
The Lobos hit the road for their next game against University of Utah Feb. 14 at 7 p.m.
