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Women's basketball: Marsh madness

Fired-up Lobos forward steps up her game during tourney time

By Iliana Limón
Friday, March 9, 2007

Dionne Marsh (left, reaching to contest a shot by Northern Arizona's Alyssa Wahl) saves her best games for the MWC and NCAA tournaments. "I just want to win, and I know you have to play your best in March," Marsh said. "There's no room for error anymore. If you lose in the conference tournament, you can't win the championship and it's harder to go the NCAA Tournament."

Jake Schoellkopf/Associated Press

Dionne Marsh (left, reaching to contest a shot by Northern Arizona's Alyssa Wahl) saves her best games for the MWC and NCAA tournaments. "I just want to win, and I know you have to play your best in March," Marsh said. "There's no room for error anymore. If you lose in the conference tournament, you can't win the championship and it's harder to go the NCAA Tournament."

Dionne Marsh must have an alarm clock set for March.

Marsh, a junior forward on the University of New Mexico women's basketball team, always seems to step up for the Lobos' biggest games.

And none are bigger than the Mountain West Conference and NCAA tournaments.

"She has a lot of experience for a junior and understands how important it is to play well this time of year," UNM coach Don Flanagan said. "She's a very competitive person, and I never have to worry about her showing up for these games."

Marsh is averaging 14.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in three seasons with the Lobos.

She is even better in conference tournament games, averaging 20.2 points and 7.4 rebounds.

She also is a force in NCAA Tournament games, averaging 17 points and six rebounds.

Marsh has another chance to pad her postseason r‚sum‚ when the third-seeded Lobos (22-8) take on second-seeded Wyoming (21-8) at 1 p.m. today during the Mountain West Conference tournament semifinals at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"I just want to win, and I know you have to play your best in March," Marsh said. "There's no room for error anymore. If you lose in the conference tournament, you can't win the championship and it's harder to go the NCAA Tournament. If you lose in the NCAAs, your season is over. It makes every point and every rebound so much more important."

Marsh has been giving opposing teams headaches for three years, but her play come tournament time has been something special.

"I don't think she's conscious of it, but there is some sort of hidden gear she hits when we're facing tougher competition," Flanagan said. "I've seen her jump higher than I've seen her jump before and make plays she wouldn't normally make when we're up against tougher competition. I think she tries as hard as she can all the time, but something just clicks when it's a bigger game."

Senior forward Timi E-Nunu, the Lobos' best defender, said Marsh is easily the most confounding player she has ever had to guard.

And she knows the worst thing you can do is make Marsh mad on the court.

"I remember one day in practice she was really fired up, but I had her completely covered. There was no way she was getting by me, but she was able to hang in the air for forever and then switch hands at the last second to make the shot," E-Nunu said. "I looked at coach and he said there was nothing I could do in that situation.

"So I went up to her afterward and said, `Do you know what you just did?' And she was like, `What?' She had no idea she had switched hands on me. She's just amazing like that."

Marsh has been dazzling fans by using both her left and right hand near the basket during her entire UNM career.

Marsh still can't explain how she does it.

"I don't know," Marsh said. "I just try to find the open path to the basket. I don't even think about it. People ask me afterward if I'm left-handed or right-handed when I shoot. I don't know. I don't think about what's happening when I'm going up. I just want to score."

E-Nunu said Marsh takes on a new level of intensity in tournament games.

"You can see it just by watching her," E-Nunu said. "Nobody is going to stop her. I think she has the perfect mentality. She plays her best when we need her the most."