Staff Report
The Lobos ended a two-game losing streak, beating the Air Force Academy Falcons, 71-40, at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, Saturday.
Currently sitting in fifth place in the Mountain West Conference, UNM balanced out its conference record at 4-4, and is now, thanks to a BYU loss, in the running for second place. As conference play winds down, the Lobos are fighting UNLV, BYU and Colorado State for the No. 2 slot behind Utah.
UNM easily swept the Falcons this year, beating them at The Pit earlier this season by a 36-point margin.
However, Air Force gave the Lobos a scare in the first half of Saturday’s game. The Falcons were not considered much of a threat after losing their leading scorer, LaToya Howell, for the remainder of the season.
Howell, who was the third-leading scorer in the MWC, was suspended Jan. 31, for unspecified reasons.
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Jennifer Roesch, Shawna Neff and Dana Pounds stepped up to keep the Falcons in the game, each scoring on 3-point plays in the first half. The Falcons nearly overcame a 15-point deficit, closing UNM’s lead to eight at halftime.
The Lobos immediately established control in the second half, forcing four Falcon turnovers in the first three minutes, allowing Air Force to score only two points to their own 15.
Guard Mandi Moore credited the stellar defense to teammate Cristal Garcia.
“Cristal just kind of took it on herself in the second half,” Moore told The Albuquerque Journal. “She was really tough on defense.”
Although she had only one steal, Garcia proved herself a nemesis to Air Force, single-handedly causing several of the 18 Falcon turnovers.
Led by senior Jordan Adams, UNM shot over 50 percent while holding the Academy to just 26 percent shooting.
Adams was perfect from the floor scoring six points around the basket, four from the free-throw line and a 3-pointer. She finished with 17 points, barely playing more than half of the game.
Forward Lindsey Ardnt was also 100 percent making all three of her shots, adding six points for the Lobos.
Melissa Forest had an aggressive night off the bench, scoring 15 points. Forest also grabbed six rebounds.
Forest said she took advice from Moore and decided to take more drives and more shot attempts.
Moore had a big night herself scoring nine points and pulling down seven rebounds. Only Neff had more boards, grabbing nine for the Falcons.
Neff led Air Force with 14 points while Roesch added 11.
After two weeks and three games on the road, UNM returns to The Pit, Thursday playing host to the University of Wyoming, and Colorado State on Saturday.
Wyoming is coming off a loss to Utah and CSU hopes to continue its winning streak.
The Lobos seek to avenge losses to both the Cowgirls and the Rams, and could potentially settle into second place going into the MWC tournament.
Game time is 7 p.m., Thursday, at The Pit.
