The UNM women's basketball team got a full weekend out of forward junior Melissa Forest, winning two games to take the Holiday Inn Mountain View Classic title.
Forrest, who is from Hobbs, N.M., and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, scored 12 points Friday in the Lobos' 79-61 come-from-behind win over William & Mary College. Forest added 20 points in UNM's 88-46 rout of Kent State University in Saturday night's championship game.
Joining Forest on the all-tournament team were Lobo seniors Cristal Garcia and Jordan Adams. Valerie Zona of Kent State and Jen Sobota of William & Mary rounded out the all-tournament team. UNM is now 3-1 on the season.
UNM 88, Kent State 46
The Lobos confused the Golden Flashes early, starting in a 1-3-1 zone then switching to man-to-man. Kent State would only hit six-of-24 from the field in the first half, falling behind 19-8 by the eight-minute mark.
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UNM was led by Melissa Forest, who scored 20 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Three other Lobos scored in double figures, including Abbie Letz, who rebounded from a one-for-seven shooting performance Friday. The freshman guard finished with 20 points, two assists and two steals and shot six-of-nine from the field. Sophomore Mandi Moore also came out of a shooting slump, scoring 11 points on four-of-seven shooting, including two 3-pointers. The point guard also had a game-high nine assists.
UNM didn't exactly light up the scoreboard up until that point either, but the Lobos would close the half well. UNM went on a 20-8 run to take a 39-17 into halftime.
In the second half, the Lobos perimeter defense did the job, as the Golden Flashes missed on all 12 3-point attempts. Though its outside shooting was not hitting, Kent State (1-3) managed to make it to the free throw line plenty, shooting 15-of-17 from the charity stripe.
UNM got key treys from Forest, Moore and McLeod to lead the Lobos to a 65-31 advantage with 9:02 left. McLeod finished the game with six points, three assists and two rebounds. UNM outscored the Golden Flashes 23-15 the rest of the way.
Kent State was led forward Jamie Rubis, who scored 20 points. The Flashes' all-tournament player, Valerie Zona, was held to 15 points -- 13 shy of her game-high total Friday night.
In the consolation game, U.C.-Irvine defeated William & Mary 70-67. The Anteaters (2-1) rode the hot hand of leading scorer Christina Calloway. The junior scored her second double-double of the tournament with 24 points and 11 rebounds. The Tribe fell to 2-2 on the season.
UNM 79, William & Mary 61
The Lobos overcame a sluggish first half to run away from the Tribe in the last 10 minutes of the second half. UNM got a boost from the bench, as guard Cristal Garcia and junior forward Lauren McLeod contributed double figures in scoring to the Lobo effort. Garcia led all scorers with 14 points, hitting 50 percent from the field, including four-of-six from behind the 3-point arc to tie a career-best.
UNM center Jordan Adams and William & Mary post player Linsey Brizendine each had 13 points. Adams added nine assists and eight rebounds. The Lobos ended the game with five players in double figures.
The Tribe came out with a hot shooting hand, taking a 15-6 lead five minutes in. UNM began trading baskets soon after, overcoming its initial timid play. William & Mary continued to hold the upper hand, increasing its lead to 26-16 at the 10 minute mark. The Lobos then went on a 15-3 run, taking their first lead, 31-29 with 6:05 left in the first half when junior Lauren McLeod scored on a lay-up off an Adams assist. The Tribe battled back to tie the game at 35 then finished with a 3-pointer by Tia Butts to take a 40-39 halftime lead.
William & Mary's hot shooting, which produced a 16-for-25 performance in the first half, went frigid in the second half as the Lobos turned up the defense. After see-sawing through the first five minutes of the second half, UNM went on a 14-2 run, fueled by two timely treys from Garcia and consistent scoring from Adams and senior Chelsea Grear, who finished the game with 12 points and eight rebounds. Brizendine took her fourth foul at the 9:50 mark. Without their high scorer, the Tribe struggled, scoring only nine points the rest of the way and the Lobos took advantage. UNM's lead would balloon to 20 with 2:24 left.
William & Mary shot just eight-of-29 in the second half, finishing the game shooting just over 44 percent. The Lobos finished shooting 45 percent from the field and hit eight-of-24 3-point attempts.
In Friday's early game, Kent State University defeated the University of California at Irvine at the buzzer 67-65.The Anteaters were leading but fell behind late in the game, tying it at 65 with seven seconds left in regulation.
Lobo notes: UNM sophomore Lindsay Ardnt missed both weekend games after straining her back in a Friday morning shoot-around. Coach Don Flanagan said she would be re-evaluated before Tuesday's game against New Mexico State University.
The Lobos play the first of a home-andhome series with the Aggies game tips off at 7 p.m., Tuesday, in The Pit.
The game will be broadcast on KNML, 610-AM. NMSU is currently 1-1 on the season.
The Aggies split their opening road trip in California last week, losing to Long Beach State University 78-67 Monday and defeating California State University at Northridge 77-56 Wednesday.
