DURANGO, CO - February 16, 2008 - The Fort Lewis College women's basketball team, nationally ranked #8, defeated the visiting CSU-Pueblo Thunderwolves 71-55 Saturday night as they clinched at least a share of the 2007-08 overall Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) regular season title. The Skyhawks improve to 24-1 overall and 17-0 in the RMAC, while the Thunderwolves fall to 16-9 overall and 10-7 in conference play.

For the first time in nearly 20 years the Fort Lewis women's basketball team will be crowned the RMAC Champions. With another incredible performance in Whalen Gymnasium, the Skyhawks won their 24th game, a new FLC record for wins. The team hit seven three-pointers in Saturday night's game, bringing their season total to 205, also a new FLC record for three-pointers in a season. The team can also break the Fort Lewis record for conference wins with a win in either of their final two regular season contests.

The Skyhawks slowly crept into the lead in the first six minutes of Saturday night's game, but then went on a 11-0 run at the 14:15 mark to open a 16-point lead with 10:53 left. The Thunderwolves cut the lead to 14 (41-27) at the break. Lauren Redfern (Carbondale, CO/Basalt) led the Skyhawks with 12 first-half points and three rebounds. The Skyhawks shot 44.4% from the field in the half and 92.3% from the free-throw line where they connected on 12-of-13 attempts.

The second half brought more of the same for the Thunderwolves. The Skyhawks improved their lead to 23 at the 3:56 mark, their largest lead of the game. The Pack squeezed the lead down to 16 in the final minutes. The Skyhawks shot only 35.7% from the field in the second period, but once again missed only one of nine free throws (88.9%).

The difference in Saturday night's game was the Skyhawks shooting percentage. They out-shot the Thunderwolves from the floor, from three-point range and from the foul line.

Redfern finished with 14 points, six rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal. Allison Rosel (Colorado Springs, CO/Doherty) scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. Katie Mackey (Eaton, CO/Eaton) recorded her first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds on the night. Point guard Erin Kerr (Buckeye, AZ/Buckeye Union) added 13 points and Audrey George (Longmont, CO/Niwot) added six.

The Skyhawks can clinch the RMAC Title outright on Tuesday night against Mesa State in Grand Junction. Tuesday's game, scheduled for 6:00 p.m., can be heard live on KIUP 930 AM or online at www.radiodurango.com.

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