GRAND JUNCTION, CO - February 19, 2008 - The Fort Lewis College women's basketball team, ranked #8 in Division II, defeated the hosting Mavericks of Mesa State 59-41 Tuesday night as they clinched the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) regular season title and the number one seed in the 2007-08 RMAC Shootout. The Skyhawks improve to 25-1 overall and 18-0 in the RMAC, while the Mavericks fall to 13-13 overall and 11-7 in the RMAC.
In quite possibly their closest game in the last two months, the Skyhawks held just a two-point lead at the half off a Katie Bodaness (Englewood, CO/Cherry Creek) last-second three-pointer. The Skyhawks led by as many as eight in the first half, but a 9-0 run starting at the 7:42 mark gave the Mavericks the one-point lead with 5:18 left in the period. The teams exchanged baskets the remainder of the first half before Bodaness' three-pointer at the buzzer.
The Skyhawks struggled shooting in the first half going 9-for-27 from the floor (33.3%). They also turned the ball over 10 times and were out-rebounded 22-17.
As the second half got underway, Fort Lewis opened with the first basket, but the Mavericks answered and tied the score at 28 with 17:17 left in the game. The Skyhawks then went on a 14-0 run to open a 42-28 just under six minutes later. At the 3:19 mark the Skyhawks opened a 20-point lead, their largest of the game off a Katie Mackey (Eaton, CO/Eaton) free throw. The teams split the final four points as the Skyhawks completed the 2007-08 sweep of Mesa State.
The Skyhawks shot a little better in the second half going 9-for-21 from the field and 14-of-19 from the foul line. The Skyhawks were in the bonus early in the second half as the Mavericks recorded their first seven fouls in shorter then 11 minutes.
The telling statistics of Tuesday night's game were the Skyhawks' points off turnovers and their bench points. The Skyhawks had 21 turnovers in the game, but the Mavericks scored just eight points off those turnovers, while the Skyhawks took advantage of the Mavericks 24 turnovers and score 21 points. The Skyhawks also recorded 26 more points off the bench (36-10).
Allison Rosel (Colorado Springs, CO/Doherty) led the Skyhawks with 14 points on 4-of-9 from the floor. Bodaness finished second in points with 11 on 3-of-5 from the field, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 from the line. Audrey George (Longmont, CO/Niwot) came one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds, while Lauren McCulloch (Allen, TX/Allen) finished with nine points on 3-of-4 from downtown.
The 2007-08 Skyhawks continue to break FLC records and with tonight's win broke the FLC record for conference wins in a season.
The nationally ranked #8 Skyhawks host Western State on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. in their final regular season contest. The Skyhawks will also host the quarterfinals of the RMAC Shootout on Friday, February 29th at 6:00 p.m. The opponent is still to be determined, but tonight's win gave the Skyhawks the #1 seed in the tournament. The semifinals and finals of the RMAC Shootout will take place in Pueblo at the State Fair Events Center on March 7th and 8th.
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