LAS CRUCES -- It wasn't pretty, but Lobos coach Don Flanagan will take the win.
In-state rival New Mexico State (2-9) put No. 16/18 New Mexico (9-2) on notice, heating up the typically lopsided series and narrowly falling to the Lobos 79-77 in triple overtime.
"We know we were lucky to get out of here with a win," Flanagan said. "They wanted this win more and outplayed us."
Sophomore foward Dionne Marsh scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. She forced the second overtime with a rebound and bucket with seven seconds left. Marsh also became the heart of the Lobos struggling offense down the stretch and carried the team in the third extra period.
Senior guard Abbie Letz also had a double-double, with 14 points and 10 rebounds before leaving with back spasms late in the second half.
Junior point guard Katie Montgomery poured in 15 points, with nine of them coming in the second overtime to keep the Lobos hopes alive.
And sophomore guard Brandi Kimble gave New Mexico a sorely needed boost of energy to open the second half, finishing with 13 points and seven rebounds.
The Aggies pounced in the first half, smoothly running their offense and racking up a nine-point lead. New Mexico rebounded in the second by spreading the floor, using one post player and four others on the perimeter to prevent double teams. The Lobos led by as many as nine, but poor rebounding help New Mexico State claw back into the game.
Guard Cecilia Russell-Nava led the Aggies with 18 points, while guard Irma Kmitaite added 17. Forward Jenean Ford grabbed 16 rebounds and scored 12 points, including a buzzer-beater layup to force the third overtime.
Guard Monique Bribiescas and forward Kalei Nance chipped in 11 apiece for New Mexico State.
"Our team worked hard, they just had a little more experience and were able to outlast us in those pressure situations," Aggies coach Darin Spence said. "I proud of our kids because they fought hard and never gave up."

Posted by ilimon at 12:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It took me awhile to make my decision, but I voted for Penn State's Joe Paterno and USC's Reggie Bush as the Associated Press' national coach and player of the year.
The results will be released later this week.
Bush seems like the natural choice, especially considering how he ran away with the Heisman vote. I did give some consideration to Vince Young and the dynamic year he had at Texas.
Coach of the year was even tougher.
George O'Leary pulled off an amazing turnaround at Central Florida, taking his team from 0-11 in 2004 to an 8-4 campaign this season and spot in the Hawaii Bowl.
But I was one of the many who wrote off Paterno as a guy who had stayed a little too long. I have the utmost respect for his work and believed he earned the right to leave on his own terms. I just wished he would retire because his tenure became painful to watch. The team stumbled to a 4-7 finish last year.
It would be tough not to recognize Paterno's impressive turnaround, leading Penn State to a 10-1 record and Orange Bowl berth.

Posted by ilimon at 09:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a vote that surprised no one, USC's Reggie Bush ran away with this year's Heisman Trophy.
I voted for Bush, whose stats were unbelievable this year.
Apparently so did almost everyone else. The only person to notch more votes was O.J. Simpson.
I picked Texas' Vince Young second and USC'ss Matt Leinart third.
Now that awards season is mostly over, the real prize should come when the two best teams in the country face off in the Rose Bowl.
I have one last bit of business as this year's AP voter for New Mexico.
I must cast a ballot for national coach and player of the year.
Any thoughts?

Posted by ilimon at 07:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

No. 18 New Mexico earned a 75-59 win over fiesty North Dakota State (3-4) in The Pit Saturday night.
The Lobos relied on balanced scoring and shifted 6-0 guard Abbie Letz to fowrard to clinch the Lobo Shootout tournament title.
Letz led the Lobos with a career-high 13 points and 14 rebounds.
Junior guard Julie Briody finished with 16 points and two rebounds, sophomore forward Dionne Marsh added 15 points and five rebounds and senior center Jana Francis added 11 points and two rebounds.
North Dakota State guard Lisa Bue led the Bison with 18 points, while Danni Heintzelman added 17.
Letz played an intregal role for the Lobos when Francis and Marsh were saddled with foul trouble, ending the game with four apiece.
"Abbie's a warrior," Lobos coach Don Flanagan said.
The Bison used a box-and-one defense in the first half to shackle Lobos junior point guard Katie Montgomery. Flanagan said the team opted to use her as a decoy, setting screens and springing other players.
New Mexico led by nine early but North Dakota State clawed back into the game and pulled within three points with less than a minute remaining in the first half.
Montgomery hit one of two freethrows for the Lobos, stole the ball off New Mexico's half-court press and nailed a 50-foot three-pointer as time ran in the half.
"I thought Katie's shot was huge because it really gave us mometum and put us up seven at the half," Flanagan said.
The Lobos played stronger transition and low-post defense in the second half, leading by as many as 17 points.
Letz was named tournament MVP. Marsh, Heitzelman, Louisiana Monroe's April O'Neal and Creighton's Angie Janis were named to the all tournament team.
Louisiana Monroe knocked off Creighton 61-60 with dramatic flare in the consolation game.
The Lady Indians trailed by three points with three seconds remaining when Creighton fouled LaJeanna Howard as she was attempting a 3-pointer.
Howard missed the first, hit the second and intentionally missed the third.
Louisiana Monroe rebounded and fed the ball to O'Neal, who knocked down a 3-pointer as time ran out.
"It proves you shouldn't foul with a 3-point lead," Flanagan said. "If you foul, it's the only way you can lose. The worst that can happen by playing defense is end up tied."

Posted by ilimon at 11:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lobos coach Don Flanagan was disappointed with his team's effort despite the Lobos' 70-57 win over Louisiana Monroe Friday night.
No. 18 New Mexico (7-2) defeated the Lady Indians (4-3) in the first-round of the Lobo Shootout and faces North Dakota State in the championship game Saturday night.
Flanagan, however, saw plenty his team needs to work on before its next outing.
The Lobos' offense lagged in the second half and defense relaxed in the final 12 minutes of the game, allowing Louisiana Monroe to cut a 20 point deficit to 11.
He said he was troubled by the lapses and hopes to see more effort of the team.
"We have some players who relax when we get a lead," he said. "I want to see them fight no matter whether we're up 20 or the game is close."
Junior point guard Katie Montgomery, who is battling a cold and was hoarse after the game, kept the Lobos on track when the Lady Indians threatened to close the gap.
She finished with 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals.
"Sometimes we just we relax too much, but we can't afford to do that, especially in big games," she said.
Sophomore forward Dionne Marsh finished with 15 points, four rebounds, three blocks, three steals and one assist. Senior guard Abbie Letz added 12 points and eight rebounds, while junior guard Julie Briody chipped in with 10 points, three rebounds and three assists.
New Mexico was out-rebounded by a smaller but quicker Louisiana Monroe team, which grabbed 35 boards to the Lobos 31.
"They outrebounded us 15 to 11 on the offensive boards and that's unacceptable," Flanagan said.
North Dakota State (3-3), a school in its third year of a five-year switch to the Division I ranks, upset Creighton (2-3) 68-63 in the tournament's early game.
The Bison trailed 39-27 at the half but rallied behind the play of center Danni Heintzelman to outscore the Bluejays 41-24 in the second half.
For more Lobo women's basketball news, check out Saturday's Tribune. Visit this blog after Saturday night's championship game for an update.

Posted by ilimon at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The No. 18 Lobos got a difficult dose of their own medicine, faltering under heavy defensive pressure and falling 73-61 at No. 15 Arizona State.
New Mexico trailed by 16 at the half and struggled to rebound from the Sun Devils hot first half shooting. Arizona State picked apart the Lobos' zone defense by shooting 65 percent from field goal range and 80 percent from beyond the arc.
On defense, the Sun Devils were phyical, cutting off passing lanes and forcing the Lobos into quick, contested shots.
"They completely took us out of our game," junior point guard Katie Montgomery said. "They came out strong and really pushed us around. We knew that's what they like to do, but we let them dictate the pace. We played better in the second half, but it wasn't enough."
The Lobos mounted a solid second-half rally after trailing by as many as 19 points. New Mexico took control at the five minute mark, notching a few defensive stops and aggressively driving to the basket.
The team pulled within nine points but could not complete the rally.
"We waited a little too long to get it together," sophomore foward Dionne Marsh said. "You have to give them credit for coming on so strong. They're a good team and we didn't play up to our potential. When that happens, you get beat."
Marsh led the Lobos with 17 points, with 11 coming in the final nine minutes of the game.
Senior guard Abbie Letz finished with 12 points and senior forward Jana Francis added 10 points.
Senior forward Kristen Kovesdy led Arizona State with 18 points, moving into a tie for 10th on the school's all-time scoring list.
Freshman guard Danielle Orsillo added 16 points, combining with Kovesdy to build the Sun Devils' early lead.
The Lobos return to Albuquerque Wednesday and have one day off of practice. The team will then prepare for the Southwest Airlines Shootout, a four team tournament to be played in The Pit Friday and Saturday.
For more New Mexico women's basketball news, check out Wednesday's Tribune and visit this blog.

Posted by ilimon at 09:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

No. 21 New Mexico avenged a black mark on last season, knocking off No. 10 Minnesota 62-44 in The Pit Wednesday night.
The Lobos were still smarting from last year's 75-35 loss to the Golden Gophers last year in Williams Arena on the Minnesota campus.
"We were all really upset by last year's loss and wanted to prove we could beat this team," said junior point guard Katie Montgomery, who led the Lobos with 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and one turnover in 40 minutes of play.
New Mexico relied on swarming defense to shut down the Golden Gophers, who shot 28.3 percent from the field and 20 percent from 3-point range.
"We played zone, man-to-man and used a couple of different press," New Mexico coach Don Flanagan said. "We threw everything we had at them."
Perhaps the biggest adjustment was double teams on the low post that came from varying directions, constantly frustrating the Gophers' post players.
Minnesota's top scorers, forwards Natasha Williams, Liz Podominick and Jamie Broback, combined for 12 points. They typically combine for an average 42.1 points per game.
"I think tonight was our best defensive game," said Lobos senior Jana Francis, who finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
The Lobos have two wins over ranked opponents this season, tying the school record for the wins over Top 25 teams in a season.
New Mexico also picked up its biggest win since knocking off No. 9 Utah 76-59 in The Pit on Jan. 29, 1998.

Posted by ilimon at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)