by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
Oklahoma's high-powered offense was too much to handle, and UNM was handed its first loss of the season Wednesday night, 74-63.
The 25th-ranked Sooners (3-0) knocked the Lobos (2-1) out of the semifinal round of the preseason Women's National Invitational Tournament at The Pit.
When the Lobos tried to slow down the post play of 6-foot-4-inch Courtney Paris and 6-foot-3-inch Ashley Paris, Oklahoma was forced to take shots from beyond the arc.
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Unfortunately for UNM, they did that extremely well. Shooting guard Erin Higgins hit back-to-back threes to put Oklahoma up 8-0 with 18:15 in the first half.
"Their three-point shooter getting off to a quick start really helped them," UNM head coach Don Flanagan said.
With Oklahoma hitting its deep shots, UNM had to go back to playing its defense straight up.
That's when Courtney Paris, a freshman, went to work. By far the biggest center the Lobos have had to deal with this season, she proved to be too physical for them.
She finished the game with a double-double, scoring 26 points and grabbing 18 rebounds, both game-highs. The center also shot a high percentage, going 11-of-15 from the field.
Flanagan said Courtney Paris gave the Lobo defense headaches, and it simply could not adjust to her play.
"We tried everything we could on her and she's very difficult to defend," he said. "She just keeps coming at you and she has a soft touch."
Despite Courtney Paris' monster game, the Lobos did make some runs and cut the deficit to 34-35 at halftime. Oklahoma had a lead of 27-14 at 7:41.
"We were going inside, and I felt like they couldn't guard us inside," Flanagan said. "They adjusted a little bit the second half."
Whatever was said in the Oklahoma locker room at halftime fired up the team. They started fast and took control of the game to open the second half. The Sooners found holes in the Lobo defense and opened a 49-39 lead with 15:33 remaining.
Flanagan said he stresses the importance of the opening minutes of the second half, and that is where his team lost the game.
"Right off the second half they just started blowing us away again. We need to improve that time of the game," he said. "We didn't run our offense particularly well."
Star forward Dionne Marsh was one of the Lobos who got off to a slow start, though she did finish with good numbers. After starting the game 0-for-6 from the field, she finished with a team-high 23 points and added five rebounds.
"Dionne had a pretty good game but I've seen her have better games," Flanagan said.
Junior guard Katie Montgomery said the Lobos have to come out stronger if they are going to beat teams the caliber of Oklahoma.
