[December 13, 2009] Lukewarm Lobos Still Top Lions: Taylor Does Enough Damage To Propel Flanagan's Troops Tweet Dec 13, 2009 (Albuquerque Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The UNM women's basketball team didn't set a blistering pace Saturday, but it did run away from Loyola Marymount. Lauren Taylor scored a game-high 20 points and the Lobos (7-3) maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half. Sara Halasz and Amy Beggin chipped in 13 points apiece in New Mexico's 74-55 victory. A Pit crowd of 7,038 wasn't treated to the kind of red-hot performance UNM delivered in Wednesday's 81-61 win at Arizona. Still, all things considered, Lobo coach Don Flanagan was relatively happy. "The players have finals next week," Flanagan said, "some have already been taking them, so they're tired. We've also been battling through injuries, and I thought we looked a little flat early in the game. "But (the Lions) are better than their record and they gave us kind of a difficult game. Overall, I thought we played pretty well." After hitting 12 of 20 from 3-point range against Arizona, UNM was a more pedestrian 6-for-15 on Saturday. But when the long balls weren't falling, the Lobos found other ways to score. Jessica Kielpinski cashed in 10 points in the post, and the Lobos' guards converted drives and midrange jumpers into points. "Our confidence is very high right now," said Taylor, who reached the 20-point plateau for the third time in her past four games. "I didn't get those shots off on my own. They came on great screens and passes from my teammates. We're working well together." That UNM had 17 assists on its 29 field goals supports Taylor's assessment. Beggin and Taylor led the way with four assists apiece, but productive passes were coming from numerous sources. "I thought we ran our offense pretty well," Flanagan said, "especially in the first half." Loyola Marymount (5-5) also ran an effective offense, using high ball screens to get players free and scoring on drives to the basket. Guard Renahy Young gave the Lobos fits on her way to a team-high 17 points. The score was tied at 15 after two Young free throws with 11:05 left in the first half, but that's when UNM began to find its offensive stride. Halasz hit back-to-back baskets, and Taylor added a driving layup to spark a 10-2 run. Amanda Best, who scored eight points, hit a pair of jumpers in the half's final minute to build New Mexico's lead to 37-26. Taylor and Beggin netted 3s to open the second half, and Halasz followed with a steal and layup to give the home team its largest lead at 47-26. Taylor was just 2-of-7 from long range, however, after hitting 4-for-5 against Arizona. "If Lauren had been hitting, she would've had 30 points today," Flanagan said. Taylor smiled at the comment, then agreed. "I always know the standard is up here," she said, lifting a hand over her head. "I'm not reaching it. It's not that I necessarily want to go for 30 points, I'm just trying to make shots when the opportunities come." To its credit, LMU fought its way back into the game. Kavita Goss and Candice Nichols combined to hit three 3-pointers during a 17-6 Lions run that trimmed UNM's lead to 53-43. "I liked our first 10 minutes of the first half, and I liked the way we played in the second half," LMU coach Julie Wilhoit said. "I think against a lot of teams in our league, we would produce a different result than we produced in this game." The Lions' run wasn't enough because the Lobos had a finishing kick. Beggin and Halasz swished 3-pointers during an 18-8 run that put the win away for New Mexico. Val Kast and Georonika Jackson scored four points apiece off the bench for UNM, while freshman Jourdan Erskine added two points and four rebounds in 21 active minutes. "I like that Jourdan Erskine is coming around to give us tough inside minutes," Flanagan said. "She's not going to give us a whole lot of points, but if she gives us rebounds and defends tough inside, she's going to be in the rotation." New Mexico will get a break of sorts in the coming weeks, playing just twice in the next 25 days. The Lobos' next game is next Sunday, when they host New Mexico State. Up Next Next Sunday: NMSU at UNM, 2:30 p.m. TV: My 50-TV Radio: KNML-AM (610) To see more of the Albuquerque Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.abqjournal.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Albuquerque Journal, N.M. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]