Wyoming officially put the Mountain West Conference on notice. You can't look at the Cowgirls as a strong middle of the pack team. Joe Legerski can't convince me he's still building his program anymore. TThe Cowgirls passed UNLV as more than just a thorn in everyone's side, capable of upsets here and there. Wyoming has to mentioned in the same breath as powerhouses New Mexico, Utah, TCU and BYU.

The Cowgirls rolled to a 72-56 win over Wisconsin Saturday, claiming the WNIT championship. It was a sweet ending to a breathless tournament run that saw record crowds turn out in Laramie, Wyo., to support the best basketball team in town. It sounds an awful lot like the Lobos' run to the WNIT championship, which came right before they rattled off six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

Wyoming has done it all without a senior in the starting lineup and a seven-player rotation. The Cowgirls have a solid recruiting class and should develop more reserves to make them an even stronger team next year. And you can't underestimate how extended postseason play and a championship can propel a team to greater heights.

This is really great news for the Mountain West Conference. It will be a challenge to keep up with this flourishing program, but that's a wonderful headache.

Now all I ask is that Wyoming toughens up its schedule. The Cowgirls mowed down some pretty big name teams in the WNIT, so it's clear they can compete at the highest level. The reason they didn't get an NCAA Tournament invite and TCU did was because the Frogs played a ton of Top 25 teams before Mountain West play began. TCU didn't even have to beat those teams, the Frogs were just be smart enough to schedule them. I'm not saying Wyoming should bite off more than it can chew, but the Cowgirls' biggest non-conference game can't be Montana State anymore. This championship should get Wyoming an invite to the pre-season WNIT. Wyoming needs to be in that tournament and stay on the national radar. It's the natural next step for a program that is growing by leaps and bounds.

Posted by ilimon at 06:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A few television stations in Oklahoma are reporting Artesia star quarterback Landry Jones orally committed to Oklahoma. Jones, a 6-foot-5 junior who led the Bulldogs to a state championship, is one of the hottest QB prospects nationally. He was getting serious attention from big-name schools and obligatory offers from little fish like New Mexico and New Mexico State.

The Sooners apparently won Jones' heart. I don't really fault the Lobos for losing out on this recruit, although I'm sure there will be tons of people who will argue the UNM football staff wasn't aggressive enough going after Jones. I do think it's fair to say that fellow Artestia grad Kole McKamey's career didn't go as well as many had hoped and that easily could have steered Jones away from the Lobos. McKamey had to deal with constantly changing offenses that didn't always protect him and a heavy rotation of new coaches.

Ultimately, I think it would have been a huge longshot for UNM or New Mexico State to land Jones. He had a chance to make a bigger splash at a bigger school and decided to chase his dreams. Good for him. I know it's hard for UNM fans to cheer on hometown heroes who spurn the Lobos, but Jones could bring a lot of love to New Mexico if he lives up to expectations.

Jones' commitment is not binding, but I wouldn't look for him to change his mind. Cooper Henderson, the Artesia football coach, is one of the greatest New Mexico high school coaches in any sport I have ever met. He values honesty and integrity in his athletes, and I'd be shocked if Jones backed out of his commitment after giving his word.

Posted by ilimon at 05:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Wyoming women's basketball team has made an impressive postseason run after getting snubbed by the NCAA Tournament. The Cowgirls just survived a thriller, knocking off defending Women's NIT champs Kansas State 89-79 in triple overtime. Here's a recap of the big game. Wyoming will face Wisconsin in Laramie, Wyo., Saturday for WNIT championship. This is definitely huge for the Cowgirls' program, which really hasn't seen this kind of success before. It's also really cool that the team has been drawing crowds on par with the Lobos throughout its WNIT run.

This, of course, makes Wyoming a mighty dangerous team next season. The Cowgirls don't have any seniors and should develop more depth beyond their seven player rotation that made them pretty tough to beat this year. And they'll have all that postseason experience and confidence to boot.

Posted by ilimon at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Porche Torrance, a Fort Worth-area athlete who will be a freshman on the UNM women's basketball team next season, is catching women's NCAA Tournament regional games in Dallas. Tonight she'll see North Carolina take on Purdue live. "It's been great seeing all the games so far," Torrance said when I reached her at home Tuesday afternoon. "I got to see Lisa Leslie in person for the first time. She's an amazing player and it was cool to see her in person instead of just on TV."

While she has been impressed by the players she has seen, Torrance said her favorite current college athlete is Tennessee's Candace Parker. Parker and the Lady Vols are playing in the Dayton regional. "She's just an amazing player," Torrance said. "She just does it all."

Parker has been especially impressive in this year's NCAA Tournament, dominating every matchup. I wouldn't be surprised if she led the Lady Vols to their first national title since 1998.

Posted by ilimon at 05:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

UNM football coach Rocky Long never talks much about this, but he usually gets hit up by other coaches to talk about his defense. It kind of goes with the business, with guys swapping stories to get better every summer.

During the weekend, Long was scheduled to speak at USC's annual coaches clinic. He joined Mike Stoops of Ariziona, Mike Price of UTEP, Greg Robinson of Syracuse and Green Bay Packers special teams coach Shawn Slocum as the non-USC guest speakers. Here's the news release from USC with the details about the camp.

Posted by ilimon at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Sorry for the lag in blog updates. I've been suffering from my annual end of the football and women's basketball season illness. My job's great, but it's no picnic going nine months straight without a real day off. I'm on the mend and should be back on track soon with more UNM sports news.

Here are the dates for the UNM women's basketball team:

Day Camp
June 4-7

Individual Camp
June 11-14

Team Camp
June 15-17

Position Camp
June 24-26

If you want to sign up, contact the UNM women's basketball office at 505-925-5770. This year's brochure isn't up yet at golobos.com, but it should be there soon. You can find camp info for all UNM sports at this link.

I'm sure camp events will be spread around at Johnson Center, the practice facility and The Pit, but the scrimmages you want to see likely will be in The Pit again this year. I'll post more updates when we get much closer to the camps.

Posted by ilimon at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM coach Rocky Long has changed his spring football schedule.

The practices will start on Monday April 16 and run for two and a half weeks instead of being spread out over a longer period of time. The team will practice Monday through Saturday, Monday through Saturday and Monday through Wednesday. The spring football game will be on Wednesday, May 2.

Long said he made the changes to give players more time to bulk up in the pre-spring football conditioning program and allow his new assistant coaches to get on the same page before practices begin.

Posted by ilimon at 06:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The UNM football schedule was released today, with the Lobos playing four games on national television. Three games will be on CSTV and one will be on Versus. UNM coach Rocky Long said there also is a good chance the Arizona game will be broadcast on a Pac-10-related network, most likely Fox Sports-Southwest. Here's the schedule:

Saturday, Sept. 1 at UTEP 8 p.m. CSTV
Saturday, Sept. 8 New Mexico State 7:30 p.m. The Mtn.
Saturday, Sept. 15 at Arizona TBA TBA
Saturday, Sept. 22 Sacramento State 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 29 BYU 6:30 p.m. CSTV
Saturday, Oct. 6 Open
Saturday, Oct. 13 at Wyoming 12:00 p.m. The Mtn.
Saturday, Oct. 20 at San Diego State 6:30 p.m. CSTV
Thursday, Oct. 25 Air Force 7 p.m. VERSUS
Saturday, Nov. 3 at TCU 3:30 p.m. The Mtn.
Saturday, Nov. 10 Colorado State 1 p.m. The Mtn.
Saturday, Nov. 17 at Utah 3:30 p.m. The Mtn.
Saturday, Nov. 24 UNLV 3:30 p.m. The Mtn.

What do you think of the schedule?

Posted by ilimon at 06:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I think it's safe to say everyone who made this trip to Hartford is pretty disappointed. A lot of fans and members of the media couldn't get a Southwest flight out yesterday, so we're heading home today.

This one has to sting for everyone because it really is the one that got away. The team overcame so many obstacles, but nothing seemed to click Sunday.

Rather than rehash the loss, which really isn't going to make anyone feel better, I wrote a story for today's paper looking at next year's team. I think it's going to be a very interesting group. Lots of talent, lots of youth. UNM coach Don Flanagan said the lineup is going to force him to experiment a lot more. If experimenting means substituting, and I think it does, I think it will be very good for the group. Flanagan admits he has had too quick a hook with younger players. It''s something fans have been lamenting for a long time.

So let me know what you think of next year's lineup? Who should be the starters? Do you think any of the incoming freshmen will crack the top five spots?

Posted by ilimon at 08:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The Lobos chose one of the worst times to play its worst game of the season. UNM couldn't run its offense and lack the fire that propelled it to a Mountain West Conference tournament championship.

Check out Lobo Zone soon for complete postgame coverage.

Posted by ilimon at 06:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

UNM has had its chances to get back in this game but has never been able to run its offense or score consistently. This is the Lobos' last chance to make something happen.

Posted by ilimon at 06:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Julie Briody banked a 3-pointer to help the Lobos chip a little bit into Wisconsin-Green Bay's team. After an early burst of energy by the Phoenix, both teams have settled in to a bit of a stalemate. The Lobos fouled Wisconsin-Green Bay, prompting the official timeout. It's time for seniors Katie Montgomery and Briody to step up the scoring.

Posted by ilimon at 06:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos have to wake up now. They are still playing pretty sloppy basketball and it's going to cost them a very winnable game. Wisconsin-Green Bay got five offensive rebounds in a row and before UNM finally got a steal. The team has to either settle down or pack up to go home.

Posted by ilimon at 06:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, I guess the chat went OK. Angela Hartill took the ball strong inside, but then Nicole Soulis scored in the low post on the other side. Timi E-Nunu isn't finishing around the basket like she did in Vegas, and it hurts having Dionne Marsh on the bench. We'll see how she responds whenever UNM coach Don Flanagan throws her back in the game. She's likely sitting for some pretty weak defense and rebounding.

Posted by ilimon at 06:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM coach Don Flanagan called a timeout after the Phoenix went on a 11-2 run to open the second half. The Lobos came out flat, while Wisconsin-Green Bay came out pretty hungry for some buckets. We'll see how they respond to his chat.

Posted by ilimon at 06:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, that was just an ugly first half of basketball. Neither team played especially well, but UNM climbed out of the cellar to take a 29-26 halftime.

The Lobos haven't been sharp by any stretch of the imagination, and I'm sure they're hearing an earful right now from UNM coach Don Flanagan after getting our-rebounded 21-13 by a much shorter team.

The brightest spot for UNM has to be Brandi Kimble, who seems to be the only Lobo who remembers what happened in Vegas. She has a game-high seven points, four steals and three boards. She also is the only player on either squad to log a full 20 minutes in the first half.

Wisconsin-Green Bay wasn't exactly lighting it up either. The Phoenix's leading scorer is guard Kayla Grohl with six points. Senior forward Nicole Soulis, the team's leading scorer this season, only has two points.

It will be very interesting to see how UNM opens the second half. This is very much a winnable game for the Lobos. They just have to figure out how to play up their potential.

Posted by ilimon at 05:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM has rallied from a particularly ugly start to claim a 25-21 lead over Wisconsin-Green Bay. The Lobos' guards have knocked down mid-range jumpers. Brandi Kimble has been all over the court, giving UNM a big lift on both sides of the ball. The only trouble is Katie Montgomery, Julie Briody and Timi E-Nunu all have two fouls apiece.

Posted by ilimon at 05:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM is playing some mean defense and Katie Montgomery knocked down a few shots to help the Lobos claw back into this game. Brandi Kimble is having another strong game, but the rest of the team has yet to show the form it flashed during the Mountain West Conference tournament in Vegas. Of course, this isn't exactly abnormal behavior for a UNM team. If you're going to start a half poorly, better the first half than the second.

Posted by ilimon at 05:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brandi Kimble has five points, keeping UNM in the game with Wisconsin-Green Bay. UNM just started in a funk and is trailing the Phoenix 15-7 with 11:24 left in the first half. Kimble and Marsh have the Lobos only points so far.

Posted by ilimon at 05:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM is off to a sluggish start, going 1-of-8 from the field. Dionne Marsh hit the only basket for UNM. Senior forward Timi E-Nunu also picked up two quick fouls. The only good news is UNM's defense is giving Wisconsin-Green Bay just as much grief, forcing three steals already.

Sloppy so far. Let's see what happens as both teams settle down a bit.

Posted by ilimon at 04:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Both teams are warming up and coach Don Flanagan's cheering section is really filling in behind UNM's bench. The Flanagan family made special T-shirts for the event and are all fired up. A friend of his handed me copies of some great yearbook photos of Don from high school. If it weren't for the massive snowstorm, we would have had them in the paper Saturday. I'll see if I can find a way to get them scanned and uploaded soon enough. Trust me, they're pretty funny.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Posted by ilimon at 04:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ole Miss was just too much for TCU, leaving the Lobos the only Mountain West Conference team still standing in this year's NCAA Tournament. The Frogs had a lot of turnovers early. They also were out-rebounded 46-37 overall and 25-16 on the offensive glass. And it's tough for TCU to win Hobbs High standout Adrianne Ross only scores nine points. I thought she had some strong passing moments but seemed pretty tentative. BYU fell to Louisville yesterday, so it's all about the Lobos now.

Posted by ilimon at 03:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 13 seed Marist, a team the Lobos beat in The Pit last year, upset No. 4 seed Ohio State 67-63. It was the first NCAA Tournament win for any team from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Marist looked a lot like last year's team that faced UNM, with several of the star players from this game in the starting lineup last season. The Red Foxes' coach, Brian Giorgis, is one of the winningest coaches in New York high school hoops history.

Elsewhere, No. 3 Arizona State narrowly dodged an upset by No. 14 UC-Riverside, winning 57-50. The Highlanders had a 10-point lead with eight minutes left before going on a 19-2 run to close out the game.

No. 11 BYU lost to No. 6 Louisville 80-54, giving the Mountain West Conference an 0-1 record so far in the tournament. The Cougars went ice cold from long range and fell to the Cardinals, led by former Colorado State coach Tom Collen.

Posted by ilimon at 08:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm glad I finally got a chance to see Wisconsin-Green Bay in action. If I were a betting person, which I really shouldn't be considering my pathetic men's NCAA Tournament bracket, I would pick the Lobos to win this matchup. I think it will be a good game, but UNM has more explosive scoring threats, including Dionne Marsh, Brandi Kimble and Julie Briody.

Here's are some of the things from the Phoenix's practiceI I thought were noteworthy:

-- The team is, in fact, quite short. Yes, you can tell from the roster, but they look as short as advertised and I can see UNM's perimeter size being a problem for them.

-- The starting five all can hit 3-pointers as well as advertised. They also have quick releases on their shots. The team practiced skip passes, catching and shooting. They are very comfortable reversing the ball and taking quick advantage of open looks.

-- Players coming off the bench don't have as smooth or natural 3-point shots. You can definitely tell the trey is preached in this program, but the starters certainly have better form and more confidence.

-- Nicole Soulis has good post moves and a nice shooting touch, much like we've been hearing all week. It was a light workout, so it was very hard to tell whether she is especially hard-nosed or a tough player. I think she is really comparable to Wyoming's Justyna Podzienska.

-- The guards post up well. They practiced making post moves on post players, and did a remarkably good job using an array of head fakes and drop steps to get open looks. Several of them also have strong mid-range and fall-away jumpers. These are all good weapons to counter their size.

-- They can quickly advance the ball up the court, but they lack explosive speed. This team has strong transition game instincts, but it's not as though they have dramatically overpowering speed.

That's all for now. Check back soon for some great stuff that didn't make it into my story about UNM coach Don Flanagan's old stomping grounds in East Hartford.

Posted by ilimon at 03:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

UNM practiced this morning at a college in the area, then the Lobos made their way to the Hartford Civic Center for the 50-minute open workout session. The team did not practice last night as previously planned because of the snow storm.

It's sunny out today, but the weather is still causing a few problems. UNM was one of the more fortunate teams here that hasn't had any major trouble yet.

TCU, Ole Miss and Harvard all had their buses get stuck in the snow around the Hartford Civic Center. Wisconsin-Green Bay's bus also ran late navigating the area.

Check out Lobo Zone soon for a Web exclusive story. I'll also update the blog with my thoughts on Wisconsin-Green Bay's practice, which is under way right now.

Posted by ilimon at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The University of New Mexico women's basketball arrived in Hartford, Conn., safely and on time this afternoon despite a heavy winter storm blanketing the state and much of the Northeast. The team had planned a short practice tonight, but it is unclear whether slick roads will keep the team from working out.

Posted by ilimon at 02:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ESPN.com analyst Nancy Lieberman picked New Mexico to beat Wisconsin-Green Bay. Here's her assessment of the game. It sounds a little stat heavy and some of her analysis of the Lobos' speed is likely based on previous UNM squads. This year's Lobos lack the power post player but have better wheels. Of course, the defensive pressure never changes.

Posted by ilimon at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sorry for the lag in blog updates. It's been really crazy trying to get everything planned for cross country travel and taking care of all my interviews.

If you've been reading the Trib, as I trust you have if you're reading this blog, then you've seen my stories mostly focused on Wisconsin-Green Bay. I wanted to dive right in and learn as much as possible about the team since most of us have never seen them play.

It sounds like it's going to be a great matchup. The more I learn about the Phoenix, the more they sound like Wyoming with better 3-point shooters. All five of their starters can knock down 3-pointers and drive if you fly at them to contest a shot. Then you've got a great post player, who sounds more like Wyoming's Justyna Podziemska than BYU's Dani Wright. Podziemska has the big body but smooth moves and a great 3-point shot. Wright is all brawn and head fakes. I think the Lobos will be slightly more athletic and perhaps a little more hard-nosed after facing tougher competition. But it's really to judge Wisconsin-Green Bay because the Horizon League was down this year. They scored a ton this season but didn't really get tested.

The Lobos seemed loose and focused in practice. UNM coach Don Flanagan said he was happy with the way the team has recovered from the Mountain West Conference tournament. I wrote about Katie Montgomery wearing knee pads during practice because players are flying all over the court for the ball. Timi E-Nunu said her nose is feeling better after she got clocked by Brandi Kimble during the BYU game. The swelling is down, but she got elbowed in the mouth during Tuesday's practice. "I've just gotten used to getting hit in the face," E-Nunu said. "If it gets us ready to win, it's worth it."

That's all for now, but check back for tons more blog updates. I will be doing loads of entries all this week. Saturday also will be a big blog and Web update day. The Trib doesn''t have a Sunday paper, but I'll be providing live updates following press conferences and practices.

Posted by ilimon at 02:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobo Club and Classic Travel have put together a package for fans who want to cheer on the UNM women's basketball team during the NCAA Tournament. The Lobos face Wisconsin-Green Bay Sunday in Hartford, Conn. If they win, the Lobos would likely play Connecticut on the Huskies home floor Tuesday.

The five-day, four-night package includes:

Roundtrip air transportation from Albuquerque to Hartford, departing
Saturday, March 17 and returning Wednesday, March 21.

Game tickets (all session passes include four games on Sunday and two
on Tuesday)

Four nights at the team hotel, the Crowne Plaza, which is two blocks
from the Hartford Civic Center

Transfers to and from the Hartford airport

For more information or to reserve your spot, call Classic Travel at (505) 888-4454. For reservations at the Crowne Plaza, call 860-549-2400 or toll free at 877-227-6963.

Posted by ilimon at 01:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The UNM Ticket Office has a limited number of tickets available for the Lobos' game in the NCAA Tournament. There may be an option to only attend the Lobos' session with these tickets, making them cheaper than the $75 all session pass available through the University of Connecticut. For more information, call the ticket office at 925-LOBO.

Posted by ilimon at 08:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We've a got a short video on the Trib's Web site with some footage of the Lobos' winning the Mountain West Conference tournament and collecting the big championship trophy. You can visit our Trib Vid section to see the video. And you can check the same site again Tuesday for the Lobos' reaction to their seeding in the NCAA Tournament.

We plan to do a whole lot more video from the NCAA Tournament, so keep checking the TribVid site all this week and next week to see more footage of the Lobos.

Posted by ilimon at 08:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM was seeded No. 8 and will face No. 9 Wisconsin-Green Bay Sunday in Hartford, Conn. If the Lobos win, they will likely face No. 1 UConn.

OK, some people are really upset about the seeding. It is both a compliment to the Lobos' strong finish and horrible bounce with UNM getting the privilege of facing in the second round if it wins round one..

Here's the Trib's Web story, with reaction from the team at coach Don Flanagan's house.

The players seemed surprised, but they really just are used to getting tough assignments in the tournament. Last year was the friendliest matchup they have had outside of The Pit. They seem optimistic about their chances and several said at least they wouldn't be facing No. 1 seeds like Tennessee or Duke. They consider those much tougher matchups, although no one will call UConn a picnic.

The team will be traveling to Hartford Friday and practicing the remainder of this week.

We all knew the Lobos could get stuck in eight-nine game, so this shouldn't be a surprise. The real shocker was BYU as an 11 seed and TCU as a 10 seed. That's just wrong, considering BYU won the regular season Mountain West title and owns a much bigger overall win -- upsetting Stanford on the road.

Of course you can count on the Trib for complete NCAA Tournament coverage. Look for more in tomorrow's and more updates on the blog as soon as I can crank out the story for tomorrow's paper.

Posted by ilimon at 07:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

All that's left to do is wait on the Lobos' NCAA Tournament seeding. The selection show is at 6 p.m. tonight on ESPN.

I hope the Lobos go to Austin because I have family there and love the city. And of course it would be a fun atmosphere for the team and an easy place for UNM fans to follow the team.

I have no idea where they'll end up geographically, but I would guess the Lobos would be a 10 seed. And I think that's a really good spot for the team and obviously a lot better than the eight or nine seed that ends up slamming into the No. 1 seed immediately.

It's all speculation now. I wish the selection show was still on Sunday, but there's not much we can do but wait.

Check out Lobo Zone after the selection show for a story with the Lobos' reaction to their seeding and opponent.

Posted by ilimon at 01:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was on the same plane as the Lobos heading back from Vegas this morning. They were treated really well on the road back.

Southwest Airlines crews congratulated the team before they boarded the plane and all the Lobo fans on the same flight cheered. The flight attendants congratulated the team again once the players were seated and one more time when they landed in Albuquerque, drawing more cheers. Then people cheered as the team walked through the airport and again once they were on the other side of security. And they took a lot of pictures with fans in the baggage claim area.

The seniors carried the championship trophy yesterday, but they had Valerie Kast lugging it through the airport today. Seniority must be nice.

They were all smiles as they headed home to sleep.

Posted by ilimon at 02:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was really tough settling on the all-tournament team ballot. We really could have put five Lobos on there. At halftime, Brandi Kimble was my MVP. Then when Julie Briody kept the team in the game early in the second half, she was my MVP. But when Dionne Marsh unloaded on BYU in the final five minutes, she took the honors. The Lobos had a tremendous tournament and their reward was the trophy, which I'm sure the two BYU players and Wyoming player on the all-tournament team would have taken any day.

I actually had Mallary Gillespie of BYU, Lauren Riley of BYU, Kalee Whipple of Utah, Marsh and Briody on my ballot. Gillespie was huge for BYU and until the final five minutes had the Cougars in position to win. Riley played big in place of Dani Wright, an effort not necessarily just recognized by her point total. Whipple scored a ton in both games, including the bucket that advanced Utah to the second round. And Briody and Marsh played big in both games.

I struggled with leaving Kimble and Katie Montgomery off my list, along with a whole lot of other Lobos. But that's what happens when the entire team plays really well.

Posted by ilimon at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Welcome to the Dionne Marsh show.

Marsh just took over this game and got my vote for tournament MVP. It was Julie Briody's before Marsh just took over and went on a 6-2 run and allowed set up a Katie Montgomery layup by drawing the defense. That made for an 8-2 UNM and blew the game open, although UNM has to keep its foot on the gas.

Check out Lobo Zone soon for complete postgame coverage.

Posted by ilimon at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BYU has hit its scoring stride, while the Lobos are struggling to get open looks. Katie Montgomery has stepped up to help keep BYU from getting a bigger lead. It's going to be a war the rest of the way.

Posted by ilimon at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here comes that fight I expected from BYU. The Lobos are handling the battle so far. Valerie Kast drew Dani Wright's third foul and has scored once on her. UNM just has to keep pushing to maintain, and really extend, this lead.

Posted by ilimon at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM led BYU by 13 points, but the Cougars just went on a 4-0 run and have the next possession after a foul by Dionne Marsh and official timeout.

The Lobos started off strong and still seem to be frustrating BYU a bit with their defensive pressure.

It's just going to be one of those slugfests, but it looks like UNM still has a bit of an upper hand.

Posted by ilimon at 02:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Katie Montgomery got hot late in the first half and helped UNM open up a 10-point lead on BYU.

The Cougars are struggling mightily to score.

UNM is shooting 38 percent from the field after a cold start, but BYU is worse off at 20 percent. UNM is hitting 30 percent from 3-point range, while BYU is 0-for-5 for 0 percent.

Dani Wright only played 11 first-half minutes thanks to two quick fouls.

Julie Briody sat the last three minutes with two fouls of her own.

Angela Hartill and Brandi Kimble came up big in the first half. Hartill played 15 minutes and was more of a scoring threat that the Lobos needed to keep BYU honest on defense. Kimble just played lights out on both sides of the ball and leads all scorers with eight points.

Lauren Riley leads BYU with seven points.

UNM has the momentum right now, but you know BYU will mount a comeback. I don't know if it will be a serious threat or not, but this game certainly isn't over yet.

Posted by ilimon at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brandi Kimble leads the Lobos in scoring with eight points so far and is having another huge game. The team showed some of the best ball movement I've seen all season on the last possession Kimble scored on, whipping the ball all over and then reversing it to her where she was wide open. She hit the shot. It was pretty.

Posted by ilimon at 02:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM is in the midst of a 5-0 run and just got the next possession by forcing a tie ball. Brandi Kimble hit a 3-pointer to give UNM its biggest lead of the game. Dani Wright is on the bench for BYU with two fouls. The only down side right now is Katie Montgomery is struggling from the field and her shots are way off. But Angela Hartill and Kimble are scoring, forcing BYU to play everyone straight up as much as possible or pay.

Posted by ilimon at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos are starting to settle down a little bit and are taking better shots. Julie Briody popped open for a 3-pointer off a screen on the last possession to give UNM a 9-6 lead. The Lobos also are playing strong defense and seem to have the Cougars a little frustrated. Of course, you gotta expect both teams are going to trade a lot of blows this game.

Posted by ilimon at 02:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's really cold in the Thomas and Mack Center right now. And both teams happen to be pretty cold right now too. The only made buckets were layups.

Posted by ilimon at 02:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM won the tip. Stay tuned for updates.

Posted by ilimon at 01:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Both teams looked good in warmups. Dani Wright doesn't seem to be showing any ill effects from the sprained ankle she suffered earlier in the tournament.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Posted by ilimon at 01:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM picked a up a 65-53 win over Wyoming. The Lobos will face the winner of the BYU-Utah game in the championship at 2 p.m. MST Saturday.

Check out Lobo Zone soon for complete postgame coverage.

Posted by ilimon at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Justyna Podziemska fouled Amy Beggin as she knocked down a trey. Beggin hit the free-throw, giving UNM a four-point play and a 64-50 lead with 4:17 left in the game. It looks like it would take a big UNM meltdown at this point for the Lobos to lose this game. They are very much in control.

Posted by ilimon at 02:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Timi E-Nunu was the first player out of the game with five fouls.

The Lobos still lead Wyoming 51-43 with 7:28 left in the game. UNM owns the glass right now, holding a 30-22 advantage.

Posted by ilimon at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brandi Kimble continues to have a strong tournament, racking up 11 points so far to help the Lobos pick up a 45-34 lead over Wyoming with 11:58 left in the game.

Of course, this is looking like the first half and Wyoming got right back into the game during that period. It's up to the Lobos to keep the pressure on and extend this lead.

Posted by ilimon at 02:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lobos lead the Cowgirls 43-34 with 13:25 and it's clear Wyoming was trying to stop a Lobos' run.

Katie Montgomery now has four points, scoring both off drives.

The only downside for UNM right now is Timi E-Nunu quickly picked up her third and fourth fouls, sending her to the bench. Sub Angela Hartill is solid but lacks the defensive presence E-Nunu brings on the court.

Posted by ilimon at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wyoming traded buckets with the Lobos for the first minute of the second half, then UNM went on an 8-0 run. Katie Montgomery also scored her first field goal of the game during the run and Wyoming's Hanna Zavecz is on the bench with four fouls. So things are looking up a bit for UNM.

Posted by ilimon at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wyoming trailed by as many as 12 points, but UNM slipped into a scoring slump and the Cowgirls chipped away at the lead.

The Lobos also faced the final four minutes of the half with forwards Dionne Marsh and Timi E-Nunu sitting on the bench with two fouls apiece.

The Lobos were shooting about 41 percent from the field with 12 minutes left in the first half, then dropped to 39 percent at the half.

Wyoming was down around 28 percent early in the first half but blazed back to fire 42 percent at the half.

Wyoming's Hanna Zavecz, who has three fouls, leads all scorers with 13 points. Megan McGuffey has nine for the Cowgirls.

Julie Briody leads the Lobos with nine points, while Brandi Kimble has seven and Dionne Marsh has five.

Katie Montgomery has yet to take a shot in the game, a troubling stat for the Lobos and sign of Wyoming's strong halfcourt defense.

The Lobos' offense also broke down even with Marsh in the game. She was forcing shots inside and the Lobos weren't moving without the ball to give her more options.

The first few minutes of the second half will be very telling for the Lobos, who will look to regain the momentum. But it's also pretty clear a team like Wyoming isn't going away even if it is down early. So the Lobos have to play a full 20 minutes of rough-and-tumble basketball to pick up a win.

Posted by ilimon at 01:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wyoming mounted a 7-0 run to make the score 21-16 with 3:33 left in the first half.

Dionne Marsh has been forcing some ugly shots inside and picked up her second foul. With Timi E-Nunu alaso saddled with two fouls, the Lobos are going with Angela Hartill and Valerie Kast inside. So far Kast is playing good defense and just needs to calm down a little. She turned the ball over on her first offensive play.

The only really troubling thing for the Lobos right now is Katie Montgomery still has not gotten any open looks at the basket and has not scored.

Posted by ilimon at 01:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How bad are things going for Wyoming?

Justyna Podziemsak, 6-foot-2, couldn't score in the low post over 5-foot-6 Amy Beggin.

Posted by ilimon at 01:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Timi E-Nunu came to play. She pulled off a great post move on Justyna Podziemska, one of Wyoming's better post defenders and was fouled putting back an offensive board on a separate play. E-Nunu has four points, while Brandi Kimble has five to lead the Lobos.

Posted by ilimon at 01:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM is off to a hot start, although not quite as sizzling as the first half against UNLV. It's hard to be that good all the time.

UNM kept Wyoming from scoring its field goal until 15:58 was left in the first half. But key Lobos like Katie Montgomery and Julie Briody still haven't hit field goals yet. If they start knocking down shots and the defense holds, it's over.

Posted by ilimon at 01:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

just tipped off. Stay tuned for updates.

Posted by ilimon at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The big Lobos crowd is back in the Thomas and Mack Center, cheering on the Lobos. Wyoming also happens to have a pretty good-sized crowd. But the Cowgirls fans lack the signs and face paint on the UNM side. And Wyoming takes up one section to the Lobos' five or six.

Both teams look fine in warmups. We're all just ready for tipoff.

Posted by ilimon at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM finished with a 80-52 romp over the Rebels.

Check out Lobo Zone soon for complete postgame coverage, including a story and photos.

Posted by ilimon at 05:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Valerie Kast just came back into the game and scored another jumper to keep the Lobos' lead in the 30s. And Faye Muller fouled out on the other end trying to drive on Dionne Marsh.

It's all Lobos today.

Posted by ilimon at 05:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos just went on a 14-3 run during the past four minutes to slam the door in UNLV's face. I can tell you both the players and the hundreds of UNM fans here are having a whole lot of fun. It's pretty to watch, unless of course you're UNLV. Then it's like a ghastly train wreck.

Posted by ilimon at 04:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNLV was bound to score and the Lobos were bound to slow down their scoring.

UNM has made enough plays to protect its lead, by the Rebels look a lot more fired up and more confident this half.

It's up to the Lobos to slam the door shut on UNLV and make a statement by continuing to dominate this game.

Posted by ilimon at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's no doubt UNM was fired up for this game.

The Lobos brought their A-game to Vegas and unloaded on UNLV.

UNM leads the Rebels 40-18 at the half.

Dionne Marsh leads the Lobos with 12 points, while Julie Briody added eight points.

Faye Muller led the Rebels with five points. Sequoia Holmes, who has averaged 20 points in two games against the Lobos, only had three points in the first half.

UNM shot 59 percent from the field on 17-of-29 shooting, while UNLV fired 28 percent on 7-of-25 shooting.

Neither team was warm from 3-point range. UNM went 1-of-8 beyond the arc and the Rebels went 0-3.

UNM owned an 18-15 rebounding advantage.

Perhaps most important, UNM only turned the ball over six times while UNLV had 11 turnovers. The Lobos scored 16 points off those turnovers.

If UNM plays reasonably well the first five minutes of the second half, the Lobos will face Wyoming in the semifinals.

Posted by ilimon at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNLV has mounted a 7-2 run fueled by a few fouls and a turnover, but it barely made a dent in the Lobos huge lead. UNM is still playing aggressively and seems to be very much in control of every aspect of the game.

Posted by ilimon at 04:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When UNLV went with 6-foot-6 freshman center Samantha Stickler, UNM countered with 6-foot-6 Valerie Kast.

Kast was clearly thrilled to get into the game and scored six quick points to help the Lobos continue their double-digit lead over the Rebels.

UNM led 21-1 before UNLV scored its first field goal at the 10:16 mark and holds a 29-7 advantage with 6:37 left in the first half.

Posted by ilimon at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM leads the Rebels 19-1, with UNLV trying to hit its first field goal of the game at the 11:51 mark. UNLV is firing 0-for-6 from the field thanks, in part, to UNM's strong defensive pressure.

A reporter for the UNLV paper just leaned over and asked me how many fans the UNM women draw at home. He was startled to see hundreds of UNM fans here cheering on the Lobos.

Posted by ilimon at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos were, in fact, ready. They started on a 13-0 run and look hungry for more right now.

Posted by ilimon at 03:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm told the UNM women seem very relaxed and had a good shoot-around this morning. If the good vibes continue, I have to think the Lobos will beat UNLV. UNM didn't lose to UNLV last week because it was overmatched. The Lobos just played poorly in the final eight minutes.

We'll see what happens today. Stay tuned for tipoff.

Posted by ilimon at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Cowgirls survived some seriously ugly shooting to pick up a 56-44 win over San Diego State Wednesday. Wyoming only shot 14 percent from the field in the first half and led 17-14 at the half. Yup, that's no typo. The score was 14-17 at the half.

Wyoming advances to face the winner of the UNM-UNLV tipping off in a few minutes. Jodi Bolerjack led the Cowgirls with 15 points. Nine of those came from the free-throw line.

Posted by ilimon at 03:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Air Force's Alecia Steele scored a layup with 0.7 seconds left to pick up a 47-46 win over Colorado State during the first-round Mountain West Conference tournament game Tuesday night.

The Falcons' reward?

A second-round showdown with regular season conference champs BYU.

Well, it's probably really sweet to finally win a tournament game. The Falcons had never won a tournament game, although they have come close plenty of times.

Steele led the Falcons with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Sara Hunter was Colorado State's top scorer with 17 points.

Posted by ilimon at 07:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm at the Thomas and Mack Center watching Colorado State and Air Force battle down to the wire. BYU is here watching the game because the Cougars play the winner of this game.

The Trib has a ton of coverage this week from Las Vegas. We have a few interesting news items that weren't posted on the Web today.

I talked with UNM coach Don Flanagan and he said Georonika Jackson may see some action against UNLV. Jackson played briefly against San Diego State to help the Lobos bring the ball up the floor under pressure. Flanagan said he was pleased with how she responded and may use her if the Lobos need help against the Rebels. Flanagan said Jackson is can handle the ball better than most of the guards and is tough enough not to be pushed around by teams like the
Rebels. He said she has made a lot of progress during practices this season. Flanagan said she didn't work hard at the beginning of the year but has developed the kind of work ethic he expects of his players. I don't think we'll see much of her because Flanagan has a conservative substitution pattern, but anything is possible.

One other interesting note. UNLV is 1-2 this season in the Thomas and Mack Center. Remember, the Rebels play most of their games at the much smaller Cox Arena.

Finally, I talked to a lot of Lobos fans who are here early to cheer on the men's team tonight and are infinitely more excited about cheering on the women through the whole tournament. So UNM's homecourt advantage in the MWC tournament appears to be thriving again this year.

That's all for now. I'll have loads of updates throughout the week, so check back for more soon.

Posted by ilimon at 07:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Senior guard Katie Montgomery earned first team all-Mountain West Conference honors, while junior forward Dionne Marsh and senior guard Julie Briody took second team honors.

To read more about the awards, read my story posted on Lobo Zone.

Do you agree with the picks? Did Marsh deserve to be on the first team? Share your thoughts in the comments section of the blog.

Posted by ilimon at 07:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Normally all-Mountain West Conference awards are announced by noon today, but this year we have to wait a little longer. The conference is releasing the men's and women's basketball honorees during an awards show being broadcast on the Mountain at 7 p.m.

The men's awards are voted on by a combination of coaches and members of the media, while the women's awards are only selected by the coaches. If I had a vote, this would be my list:

Player of the year: Adrianne Ross, TCU
Defensive player of the year: Hanna Zavecz, Wyoming and Timi E-Nunu, New Mexico
Newcomer of the year: Justyna Podziemska, Wyoming
Coach of the year: Joe Legerski, Wyoming

First team
Adrianne Ross, TCU
Justyna Podziemska, Wyoming
Dani Wright, BYU
Mallary Gillespie, BYU
Dionne Marsh, New Mexico

Second team
Katie Montgomery, New Mexico
Hanna Zavecz, Wyoming
Julie Briody, New Mexico
Morgan Warburton, Utah
Sequoia Holmes, UNLV

Third team
Melinda Johnsen, BYU
Joh-Teena Filipe, Utah
Hanna Biernacka, TCU
Lauren Riley, BYU
Jennie Keele, BYU

Honorable mention
Timi E-Nunu, New Mexico
Quenese Davis, San Diego State
Sara Hunter, Colorado State
Alecia Steele, Air Force
Faye Muller, UNLV

My list would have been different if New Mexico had beaten UNLV and tied for the conference title. Then again, a lot of things would have been different if the Lobos had won that game.

I think there was a lot of talent in the conference this year, making it hard to decide on a lot of spots.

The three things that were obvious in my mind were player of the year, newcomer of the year and coach of the year. Adrianne Ross took an average TCU team and carried them to a tie for second place. Justyna Podziemska gave Wyoming a huge boost and surpassed teammate Hanna Zavecz as opponents' biggest headache. And coach Joe Legerski led the Cowgirls to their best finish in school history. A lot of coaches also did well this season, including Don Flanagan keeping the Lobos from falling apart after starting 0-3, Jeff Judkins coaching BYU to a championship during a really competitive year without a star individual player, Jeff Mittie keeping TCU together with one go-to player and Beth Burns lifting San Diego State out of the conference gutter. I just think Legerski stands just a head of them.

Wyoming and New Mexico finished tied for second and first and second in scoring defense, so the defensive player of the year honors also were tough. I went with a tie between Hanna Zavecz, who leads the league in blocked shots in conference games, and Timi E-Nunu, who has single-handedly changed momentum in games for the Lobos. If I had to guess, I'd bet the honor just goes to Zavecz. But this is my blog. I get to have ties.

That's my take. What do you think?

Share you thoughts in the comments section of the blog and check back here at 7 p.m. for a story with the official list of award winners.

Posted by ilimon at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here are the seedings for the Mountain West Conference tournament next week in Las Vegas:

1. BYU -- outright champion
2. Wyoming - tied for second
3. Lobos - tied for second
4. TCU - tied for second
5. Utah
6. UNLV
7. San Diego State
8. Colorado State
9. Air Force

To clarify my earlier post, BYU's loss was important because it was one of the factors used for the determine seeds. The Lobos would have finished with a two seed if BYU had beaten TCU, but since several teams beat the Cougars, the next phase in the tiebreaker scenarios came into play. And that's how the Lobos ended up with a three seed.

So the Lobos will face UNLV in the first round at 2:30 p.m. PST. If UNM wins, it faces the winner of the Wyoming-San Diego State game in the second round at noon PST Friday. If UNM wins again, it faces whoever gets out of the other side of the bracket in the championship game at 1 p.m. PST Saturday. The first and second round games will be broadcast live on the Mountain, with the second round games airing on tape delay on CSTV. The championship will be broadcast on Versus.

On the other side of the bracket, BYU faces the winner of the Air Force-Colorado State game, the winner of the TCU-Utah game and then the winner from the other side of the bracket if the Cougars win their first two games.

I don't think it's impossible for the Lobos to run the table, but I do think it's going to be a tough tournament. For all the flack the Mountain West Conference has gotten nationally as a league that isn't as strong as last year, there's an awful lot of parity and competitive teams I think are capable of playing well in the NCAA Tournament. It will be a war among the MWC teams to earn that privilege this year.

Posted by ilimon at 08:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos are on pace for the type of win they need, with a 62-44 lead at the 3:30 mark. Julie Briody has hit 14-of-14 free-throws, and the rest of the Lobos are stepping up in a big way. They dominated the second half.

Now the bad news. TCU upset BYU 62-48 in Forth Worth, giving the Lobos a three seed in the Mountain West Conference tournament and a first-round game against UNLV. But it could be worse. UNM could be playing Oklahoma. UNLV is beatable, just not the team the Lobos wanted to play.

Check Lobo Zone soon for complete postgame coverage.

Posted by ilimon at 02:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Junior forward Dionne Marsh has scored 11 points in the second, pushing her tally to 16, and has eight rebounds.

Posted by ilimon at 02:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos weathered a couple of turnovers and quick buckets by the Aztecs by being more aggressive and fighting for the position they need to run their offense. UNM coach Don Flanagan sent Timi E-Nunu back into the game for Angela Hartill and told her to set more screens to help the guards deal with the pressure.

Posted by ilimon at 02:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos have looked good so far, prompting Aztecs coach Beth Burns to call for a timeout. Angela Hartill started the half in place of Timi E-Nunu, who has three fouls, and has stepped up.

Posted by ilimon at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

San Diego State was called for 14 first-half personal fouls, sending the Lobos to the free-throw line 17 times. UNM knocked down 15 of those shots, including 10-of-10 shooting by Julie Briody. San Diego State starter Tamika Lipford has three fouls, while four other Aztecs have two fouls.

Timi E-Nunu has three fouls and Brandi Kimble has two. It may be a little tougher for E-Nunu to stay out of more foul trouble in the second half because she is so aggressive on defense. She has fouled out of more games than any other Lobo.

The free throws offset the Lobos' weak shooting. UNM hit 35 percent from the field, including 1-of-7 shooting by Briody, and 29 percent from 3-point range.

Briody leads all scorers with 13, while Dionne Marsh and Katie Montgomery have five points apiece.

San Diego State is shooting well either, although the Aztecs never have been a strong shooting team. San Diego State is hitting 39 percent from the field and 22 percent from 3-point range. Forward Shanon Clay leads the Aztecs with eight points.

Georonika Jackson got a chance to play late in the first half. UNM coach Don Flanagan told her to help bring the ball up the floor, but Katie Montgomery did most of the work herself. Jackson hustled, but it takes time to adapt to finally getting some playing time against a run-and-gun team.

The Lobos have about as many fans on hand as San Diego State, with Brandi Kimble's family and friends making the most noise.

Posted by ilimon at 01:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM is taking much better care of the ball and driving to the basket. The refs are calling the game relatively tight, which hurts the Aztecs' gambling style of defense. The Lobos' free-throw shooting has recovered from a bad showing in Las Vegas, with the team hitting 11-of-12 free throws so far.

Posted by ilimon at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos have started knocking down shots and calmed down tremendously. I think the guards are still picking up their dribble way too much when faced with double teams and the Lobos aren't moving as much as I think they need to against a team like San Diego State. I think Timi E-Nunu has been huge for the Lobos.

Posted by ilimon at 01:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's still not pretty over here, with the Lobos dropping passes they normally catch and struggling to run their offense. Katie Montgomery's 3-pointer helped, but UNM has to pick up the pace and figure out how to snap out of this slump.

Posted by ilimon at 01:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM came out a little sloppy, with several turnovers and rushed shots. Everyone seems to be a little out of sync except Timi E-Nunu. The Lobos are lucky San Diego State lacks the shooting skills to really capitalize.

Posted by ilimon at 01:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After a long senior recognition ceremony, the game is under way. Stay tuned for updates.

Posted by ilimon at 01:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I wrote my story immediately after the UNLV loss, Brook Brandenburger and I had done quick math to figure the Lobos could finish with no better than a third seed. Later that night, I figured out there was a chance UNM could get the second seed but needed a lot of help. So in my Friday story I wrote the Lobos will likely end up in third place and face UNLV in the first round of the tournament. UNM needs to beat San Diego State, Wyoming to beat Utah and BYU to beat TCU to win the second seed.

There are two ways fans can take the loss at UNLV.

The sky is falling approach. The Lobos totally blew whatever momentum they have and are going to have a ton of trouble with UNLV in the first round. If they lose, which could easily happen, they are headed to the WNIT. Pass the Kleenex.

The sun came up today approach. Sometimes it's hard to stay perfect. A lot people think its good to lose a game before tournament time because losing at that point is far more devastating. The Lobos can build up confidence beating San Diego State playing the same style as UNLV and should be ready to take on anyone in the tournament. This is a team that did what no one else has done this year and no other team in school history has done -- swept games at BYU and Utah. If that's not mentally tough, what is? Lobos will run the table and be better off having lost because they won't get stuck in the NCAA Tournament 8-9 game.

Reality? Somewhere in the middle. The Lobos are neither toast nor golden right now. They still decide their fate, which is why we're all gonna watch them play.

Check back for game updates soon.

Posted by ilimon at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So the streak ends. The Lobos missed a ton of free throws, turned the ball over and let UNLV make this a fast-break game. Check out Lobo Zone soon for complete postgame coverage.

Posted by ilimon at 09:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos are having fits bringing the ball up the court. They still have a chance to win if they cut down on the foul trouble and start knocking down free throws more consistently. UNLV has three players saddled with three fouls, so the Lobos can come back at the line.

Posted by ilimon at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos are struggling to score. Dionne Marsh missed a few shots and now is looking to pass more than shoot. Not good. And several Lobos have developed a bad case of fumblitis, including Brandi Kimble. They need to regroup fast because UNLV can put up points in a hurry.

Posted by ilimon at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM has struggled to get past UNLV's press, helping the Rebels claw back into the game.

UNLV's Shamela Hampton went down with what initially appeared to be a really ugly knee injury on a jump stop. She has since been wrapped up by trainers and is walking fine on the sidelines.

Posted by ilimon at 09:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM started the second half with a 10-3 run, with the guards spearheading the attack. UNM also is playing strong defense and has handled full-court pressure applied by UNLV. The Rebels' fouls are piling up faster than the Lobos, which could be a factor later.

Posted by ilimon at 09:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's like a blog entry a minute at halftime. Well not so much. I just have more to say.

Dionne Marsh has four blocks and three rebounds in addition to those big 10 points. With her first board, she became the 12th player in school history to earn at least 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. The blocks tie a career-high for Marsh.

Posted by ilimon at 09:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Former Lobos Tiffany Scaglione and Jordan Adams are on hand to cheer for the Lobos.

Cox Arena is about the size of an average high school gym. The crowd is small by Pit standards, but it is having an impact thanks to the small venue.

Posted by ilimon at 09:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's another classic UNLV-New Mexico war here in Las Vegas. Six of the past nine meetings between these teams have been decided by five points or less.

The Lobos led by as many as seven points, but they struggled to take care of the ball late in the half and ended up with the one point halftime deficit.

Freshman guard Amy Beggin has grown tremendously since the start of the season and actually seems to be handling the pressure and helping the Lobos offense flow. Katie Montgomery seems to be struggling a bit early to control the tempo.

Dionne Marsh and Brandi Kimble are both off to a good start, which is really important for the Lobos. Marsh has 10 points to lead the Lobos and Kimble is both playing good defense and driving to the basket to help UNM's offensive flow.

Guard Sequoia Holmes leads the Rebels and all scorers with 16 points. As I said before, UNLV is fired up and has been pushing the tempo. The Lobos have been playing reasonably good halfcourt defense, it's just the turnovers that really hurt. The Rebels have scored eight points off nine UNM turnovers.

Just a reminder of what's at stake for UNM in the second half. If the Lobos win, they clinch second place in the Mountain West Conference. If they manage a win over the Rebels and San Diego State, they have a chance to tie BYU for the conference regular season title.

Grab the antacid and settle in for the second half.

Posted by ilimon at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Katie Montgomery came off the bench and hit a 3-pointer, giving the Lobos a nice lift. UNM also has been effective slowing UNLV down a little bit with its two-three zone defense. The zone has helped UNM handle the Rebels' much taller post players. Don't expect that to be a reason Valerie Kast goes in because I know UNM coach Don Flanagan will consider this pace waaay too fast for her.

Posted by ilimon at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think there are two types of fastbreak ball. There's a finesse running game that TCU plays, then there's angry, ram it down your throat ball. And that's what UNLV is playing tonight.

The good news is Dionne Marsh and Brandi Kimble seem to be rising to the challenge, combining for 10 points early. UNLV also is getting into foul trouble. The bad news is Katie Montgomery hasn't been able to find her mark, putting up two airballs, and the fouls could start piling up for UNM.

Posted by ilimon at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNLV came out ready to set an energetic pace, something the Rebels always have been capable of doing but don't always execute come game time. UNLV is fired up and it took the Lobos a few possessions to find their bearings. They have settled down, but it's going to be a tough game if both teams continue with this energy level.

Posted by ilimon at 08:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)