The UNM women’s basketball team is among the best in the nation.
The Lobos proved themselves Monday night at The Pit, pulling an upset over Mississippi State, 73-61.
UNM carried over its confidence and intensity from a huge comeback victory Saturday over the University of Miami and fearlessly faced the 13th-ranked Bulldogs. The Lobos were determined and they looked as if they were on a mission — to get to the Sweet 16.
UNM shot out to an early 13 point lead connecting on six consecutive 3-pointers. Point guard Mandi Moore had nine points in the first four minutes of the game, while forward Lindsey Arndt and senior Cristal Garcia also added 3-pointers in the opening minutes.
Displaying stifling defense the Lobos are known for, UNM forced several MSU turnovers early on and dominated the boards, allowing the Bulldogs only one shot almost every time down the court.
The Lobos held the Bulldogs to 36 percent shooting in the first half, while making 50 percent of their own shots.
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MSU forward LaToya Thomas posed the only threat to the Lobos in the first half, scoring 13 points and adding four rebounds. Meanwhile, the Lobos knocked down nine 3-pointers in the half.
UNM’s only flaw thus far were fouls. Senior Chelsea Grear got into early foul trouble, committing her first less than a minute into the game. Grear sat the majority of the first period after getting her second soon after the first. Grear is normally a key scorer for the Lobos, but UNM was in no danger of falling behind with her watching from the sidelines.
At the end of the half, UNM led 41-30.
The Lobos continued their sharp shooting in the second period.
“That’s not coaching — that’s players,” head coach Don Flanagan said. “Players did it. When players are open, they are instructed to shoot and they did that.”
Feeding tournament-hungry fans, center Jordan Adams, as expected, broke the all-time UNM shot block record, blocking MSU’s Thomas under the basket.
The Lobos will have some time to recover from the exhausting victories before entering the Sweet 16 Midwest regional game, Saturday. UNM will take on the winner of tonight’s game between Texas Tech and the University of California-Santa Barbara. UNM is looking forward to playing either team.
“We got the first win — why stop now,” Grear said. “Words can’t describe our feelings right now.”
