The fifth best women's basketball team in the nation beat their closest competition in the RMAC by five points last night, Fort Lewis winning 71-66 in Pueblo.

Led by Laura Haugen and Allison Rosel, who scored 25 and 21 points respectively, the Skyhawks were able to outscore the Thunderwolves 36-28 in the first which proved to be just enough for the victory.

The first half went back and forth between the two teams, with CSU Pueblo holding up to a six point lead, before Fort Lewis went on a 16-2 run to conclude the half with an eight point lead.

In the second half, the Thunderwolves clawed back into the lead with just over 12 minutes to go in the game, and the game remained back and forth until Abbey Jackson drilled a three point shot with just over eight minutes left to play.

With 2:38 left in regulation, the score tied, Laura Haugen was able to make the jump shot in the pain to put the Skyhawks in front for good. Left with intentional fouls, the Skyhawks made it to the free throw line for six shots in the last two minutes of the game. Fort Lewis only missed one shot, to put the game out of CSU Pueblo's reach.

Turnovers ended up costing CSU Pueblo, with the Skyhawks able to convert 18 points off of Thunderwolf turnovers. Fort Lewis also owned the pain, scoring 32 points in the lane, with CSU Pueblo scoring just 18.

The Fort Lewis winning streak now grows to an astounding 15 games, and by beating the second best team in the RMAC West division, the Skyhawks now have a five game lead for the division regular season title, with eight games left to play.

The Skyhawks are 11-0 in conference play, and an 18-1 record for the season. On Friday, the Skyhawks return to Durango to face the Western State at Whalen Gymnasium. Tip-off will be at 6pm.