Conference crash/ Air Force reverts to old ways in Mountain West

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jan 14, 2001 | by Tim Mimick

Gone were the sharp passes. The accurate shooting also was absent. Nowhere to be found was the persistent, clamping defense.

Of course, this wasn't Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on the Clune Arena floor Saturday afternoon. New Mexico wasn't about to stumble to Air Force.

Instead of setting an academy scoring record as it had in its previous women's basketball game, Air Force absorbed a double-digit defeat, a 68-44 loss before a crowd of 321.

"It's a must-win for us," New Mexico senior Miranda Sanchez said. "It's a team we can't lose to - home or away."

Air Force (3-11) opened the Mountain West Conference season with its 10th double-figure defeat of the season. Air Force finished last season 4-24 overall and 1-13 in the conference. New Mexico (10-6, 1- 1) has lost five games this season to ranked teams.

This Falcons' setback came six days after they scored 86 points in manhandling Cal Poly.

The Falcons weren't close to any scoring record Saturday, largely because they went without a field goal for a 10-minute stretch of the second half. Air Force was stuck on 39 points for 8 minutes, until Ali Tomlinson drilled a short jump shot with 1:36 remaining. By then, New Mexico was ahead by 24 points.

"Obviously, we didn't panic," Air Force team captain Rozi Russ said. "We just have to run our offense and we can get our shots."

Air Force's offense looked like it was trying to bend the Baltimore Ravens' defense at times during the second half. The Falcons shot 25 percent from the field (6-for-24), 14-for-51 for the game, and wore down under New Mexico's ruling of the backboards (45- 24).

The domination began in the latter part of the first half after Air Force stayed close and trailed only 22-19. Sanchez then drilled seven quick points to fuel a closing 15-3 run.

"We hacked the heck out of them," Air Force coach Sue Darling said. "We didn't keep our feet (moving)."

Sanchez poured in 13 of her 17 points during the first half.

"It happened only in the first half, unfortunately," the 6-foot- 1 Sanchez said. "Any time I get a look at the basket, I'm going to look to shoot."

Air Force remembered Sanchez from last season when she set a school record with eight 3-pointers in the Lobos' 84-42 home win over the Falcons. She dropped in her season-high 26 points that night, after burning Air Force for 18 points a month earlier in a victory at the academy.

When Air Force stayed near Sanchez in the second half, New Mexico's 6-3 sophomore center Jordan Adams unwrapped her inside game. She scored 14 of her game-high 21 points after halftime. She also snagged eight rebounds, two less than teammate Chelsea Grear, a 5-10 sophomore forward/guard.

- Tim Mimick can be reached at 636-0365 or tmim@gazette.com

New Mexico 68, Air Force 44

HIGHLIGHT: Air Force was held without a field goal for 10 minutes of the second half.