After the U women’s basketball team scored a 67 39 win over Air Force last Thursday, coach Elaine Elliott said, “We just have to keep plugging away and stay consistent.”
Well, after Saturday’s 66-55 loss at New Mexico, in which the Utes shot 52.2 percent in the first half, but just 28.6 percent in the second, the necessary consistency apparently is not quite there yet.
Utah (9-7 overall, 2-2 MWC) blew a 13-point lead as the Lobos (14-4, 3-1) went on a 29-2 run to make up for shooting just 38.2 percent on the night.
“Unfortunately, we just can’t seem to close the door when we have the chance,” Elliott said. “We were very competitive, but we play in spurts.”
The strong shooting of the opening 20 minutes did not manifest itself on the scoreboard. Despite making 12-of-23 opening-half shots, the Utes actually made one fewer field goal (in 10 fewer attempts) than did the Lobos. Utah, therefore, had but a 33 32 halftime lead thanks to an 8-4 advantage in made freebies.
And though the U expanded upon the lead in the second half, a cold streak slowed the team down. The Utes shot just 8-for-28 from the field, 1-for 9 from downtown, and 5-for-8 from the free throw line.
Senior center Lauren Beckman did her part, hitting 11-of-16 shots for a game high 25 points and 9 rebounds. She also played solid defense on UNM’s All-Conference center Jordan Adams?holding her to 7 points on 3-of-10 shooting.
Balance from the rest of the team was not there, however. Katherine McColl and Erin Gibbons each added 10 points, but the latter shot just 3-of 12 overall, including 1-for-9 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, the U bench was outscored 17 4 by its Lobo counterparts?a fact that did not sit well with Elliott.
“We have to keep our composure and we need more from our bench,” she said. “It’s hard for our starters to maintain their level of play when they are tired, and our bench isn’t giving us the extra offense we need.”
Freshman guard Mandi Moore?the MWC’s top scorer among first-year players?led the Lobos with 20 points (on 8 of-12 shooting) and added 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Reserve Melissa Forest added 11 points and starting forward Chelsea Grear contributed 10.
The Utes now have the week off to prepare for their next game. They’ll be taking on in state rival BYU this Saturday in the Huntsman Center. The last time the teams met, in the semifinals of the MWC Tournament in Las Vegas on March 11, BYU erased a 20 point deficit to score a 61-47 win and knock the Utes from the tourney.