Dec. 13, 1999

A glimpse into Flanagan's crystal ball was flashed on Sunday, when the Lobos used an effective three-post lineup for the most extensive minutes of the season.

The big lineup helped UNM chop down Florida International 64-55 in The Pit, ending a two-game skid.

The Lobos (5-4) now have nine days to revise the playbook before a Dec. 21 encounter with Arkansas, the 1999 WNIT champs and a Final Four team in 1998.

For most of this season, Flanagan has experimented with full-court presses and quicker, three-guard lineups. But those combinations haven't been as effective as he had hoped.

"We've tried the press, and it was decent, but it hasn't been getting any turnovers," Flanagan said. "So I think we have to go to power."

Flanagan had been planning to integrate three posts into the playbook, but Florida International (2-2) expedited the decision when it threw three post players at the Lobos, including 6-foot-8 Silvia Mesa, during Sunday's game.

"They went three posts, so I went three posts," Flanagan said. "And I kept three posts after they went back to three guards."

The Lobos' three-post answer consisted of freshman Jordan Adams (6-3) and juniors Miranda Sanchez (6-1) and Jennifer Williams (6-0). Williams and Adams normally split time in the lineup. More minutes for Adams, who scored 13 points in 21 minutes on Sunday, should equal more offense. Adams is the second-leading scorer on the team (10.5 ppg), despite averaging just 19.4 minutes a game.

And the Lobo frontline will be boosted this week when junior transfer Jamie Roberts (6-3) becomes eligible for the Arkansas game. Susan Bocock (6-3) is also involved in the new blueprints.

"Counting Jamie, I have five post players who can help us," Flanagan said. "I think you're foolish if you don't explore that. If you can get a mismatch height-wise, you need to do that. And that's what we're going to try to do."

With a taller lineup, Flanagan expects to produce higher percentage, short-range shots and improved rebounding. Less quickness, however, could cause problems in perimeter defense.

"We'll have to work on that," Flanagan said.

The Lobos used a three-post lineup two seasons ago, when Anita Vuletic, Katie Kern and then-freshmen Williams and Sanchez rotated on the frontline.

"We ran it a lot my freshman year," Sanchez said. "And I think now that we have so many versatile post players, it will work well. There will always be a mismatch somewhere."

Florida International closed to 57-55 at the 2:40 mark on Sunday, but Sanchez, who finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, answered with a clutch 3-pointer with 2:18 left as the Lobos closed out the game with seven straight points. The Lobos weren't able to finish strong in back-to-back losses to Kentucky and Texas Tech, losing grasp of both games late.

Molly McKinnon, who led the Lobos with 19 points, five assists and just one turnover, helped the Lobos finish strong by scoring nine of her points in the last seven minutes. McKinnon was coming off her worst game of the season, when she turned the ball over six times during a 66-59 loss to Texas Tech on Wednesday.

The Lobos, who were outrebounded 38-33, drained 8 of 17 treys.