Staff Report
The Lobos suffered a heartbreaking loss Saturday, falling in overtime to Mountain West leader Utah University 64-61, in Salt Lake City.
After overcoming a 10-point deficit at the half, the Lobos (13-7, 3-4 MWC) held the advantage for most of the second period, but ultimately lost due to clutch 3-point shooting by the Utes. UNM has lost four straight games on the road.
All-American candidate Jordan Adams paced the Lobos in the opening minutes, scoring UNM's first 11 points. However, Adams would have to sit the latter part of the period in foul trouble watching her team struggle to keep up with Utah.
"I wanted back in so badly my teeth hurt," she said in Sunday's Albuquerque Journal. "I desperately wanted to play, but I had two fouls on me. There was nothing I could do."
Trailing throughout most of the first period, the Lobos were down 31-21 at halftime, but they took the court in the second half with an intensity level they had yet to show on the road this season.
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Switching from man to zone defense, the Lobos allowed Utah to score only once in nearly three minutes to start the period. UNM scored 12 straight points to match the Utes score at 33. The Lobos used Utah's frustrations to build a seven-point lead midway through the half.
However, the Utes regained their composure and, with 29 seconds left in regulation, Utah guard Lana Sitterud, hit a 3-point bank-shot to bring it within two. The Lobos scored another five points at the free-throw line from Lindsey Ardnt, Mandi Moore and Lauren McLeod and were confidently leading, 57-54.
Although UNM seemed triumphant leading by three, sophomore Shona Thorburn did not give up. The guard tossed up a desperation 3-point attempt and hit it with 1.4 left in the game.
Just before the buzzer, UNM got the ball to Moore, who already had 10 points under her belt, but she was unable to score under the pressure.
Utah and UNM would each score only once in the first three minutes of overtime. But Thorburn nailed another shot from behind the arc and the Utes pulled away. Thorburn secured Utah's victory with two more points from the free-throw line.
Head Coach Don Flanagan took full responsibility for the loss.
"Normally what you don't want to do is foul, but in retrospect, we probably should have, with fouls to give," Flanagan said in The Albuquerque Journal. "That might have kept them from bringing up the ball quickly."
He went on to say, " I told the kids we should have fouled. I messed up."
Leading scorer, Adams, finished with 24 points and six rebounds. Moore scored 10 points and grabbed five boards for the Lobos.
Thorburn, who had 18, led the Utes. Sitterud followed closely with 16 and forward Kim Smith added 14 points.
The Utes made 11 of 33 from behind the 3-point line. The Lobos had a better field-goal percentage overall, hitting 44 percent, while holding Utah to 36 percent.
This Saturday, the Lobos head up to Colorado Springs, Colo., to meet the Air Force Academy for the second time this season. UNM easily defeated the Falcons at home in January, and look to break their devastating losing record on the road in that contest.
