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Friday, February 13, 2009
UNM Ready for Stretch
By Ken Sickenger
Journal Staff Writer
One last deep breath, then it's go time for the UNM women's basketball team.
The Lobos regained a little spring in their steps Wednesday by drubbing Air Force 79-33 at the Pit. As the Mountain West Conference schedule would have it, New Mexico can spend six days enjoying the win before Brigham Young visits Albuquerque on Tuesday.
It's the last such break for UNM (17-6 overall, 6-4), which faces a murderous schedule in the final three weeks before Mountain West Conference tournament play begins. The Lobos haven't left themselves much margin for error.
“We're going to be challenged,” New Mexico coach Don Flanagan said. “We have to play San Diego State, TCU and Utah on the road, which are all very difficult games. It's imperative that we take care of business at home and play our best basketball down the stretch.”
Thanks to a three-game losing streak, which ended Wednesday, the Lobos find themselves in fifth place in MWC standings. Utah (9-1 after a loss at San Diego State on Wednesday) leads the way, followed by the Aztecs (8-2), TCU (7-3) and BYU (6-3).
And thanks to a revised MWC women's tournament bracket, fifth place is not where the Lobos want to end up. Seeds four through nine will face the prospect of having to win four games in five days to capture the tournament title. The top three seeds have easier paths.
Climbing the standings is possible if UNM can get hot. How high the Lobos can climb remains to be seen.
Realistically, making up three games on first-place Utah during the final three weeks is unlikely. Catching a San Diego State squad that is 12-0 at home this season and has a favorable remaining schedule also will be tough, though it's not out of the question.
At the moment, however, UNM, TCU and BYU are scrambling for position, and the next six days will be critical to all three teams. TCU visits Brigham Young on Saturday — before the Cougars come to Albuquerque.
Upsets could still change the MWC landscape (ask the Lobos), but if New Mexico is to move up in the conference standings it likely must win four or five of its final six games. That means making this final deep breath a good one.
POSITIVE SIGNS: Keeping the opposition in mind, there were several encouraging signs for New Mexico in its win over Air Force. Among them were 33 bench points, 25 assists and 24 points scored in the paint.
Perhaps most positive, however, were the play of starters Angela Hartill and Amy Beggin. Hartill registered 10 points, two rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes after scoring a combined two points in UNM's two previous games. Beggin, meanwhile, emerged from a long-range-shooting slump by hitting three of her last four 3-point shots. Beggin had been 3-for-16 from behind the arc during the Lobos' three-game losing streak.
THINKING PINK: The Lobos will hold their annual “Pink Zone” game on Tuesday against BYU. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game as a show of support for the fight against breast cancer.
The Lobos and UNM Hospital are conducting the promotion in collaboration with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's national effort to raise breast cancer awareness. The Lobo men's team will host a “Pink Zone” game on Feb. 24 against TCU.
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