Written By: Durango Herald Spotr Staff, Ryan Owens
March 14, 2010. Durango, CO. - The Fort Lewis College women's basketball team had had enough of having to scratch and claw its way back in front after repeated slow starts. It was time for the nation's No. 6 team to make a statement.
By the time the first half ended, the statement had been made.
If anyone had forgotten just why the Skyhawks were the top seed in the NCAA Central Region Tournament, Saturday's 79-52 romp over fourth-seeded Augustana College at Whalen Gymnasium served as a reminder of just how good FLC can be when it's on top of its game.
Fort Lewis shot 42.4 percent from the field, including 54.2 percent from 3, and its active defense held the Vikings to 27.3 percent shooting in the first half, and 33.3 percent for the game.
“I just thought, especially in the first half, defensively we flew all over the place," Fort Lewis head coach Mark Kellogg said of his team's hot start. The Skyhawks were sharp from the beginning Saturday after struggling in the early going in their last few contests. After Augustana pulled ahead 5-2 on a Molly Hays 3-pointer just under two minutes into the game, Fort Lewis erupted for a 31-9 run over the next 13 minutes, pulling ahead 33-14 on a Jenna Santistevan bucket with 5:22 left in the half. The Skyhawks would lead 43-22 at the intermission, thanks in part to 10 Vikings' turnovers and 10 points from Allison Rosel.
Vikings coach Dave Krauth said the start was a death knell for his club because of its need to get off to its own quick start.
“Especially for our energy level, we needed to get off to a decent start," he said. “It was a struggle for us (shooting the ball)."
One of the unsung heroes of the first-half barrage was Santistevan, a reserve forward. The sophomore played 8 minutes in the period, scoring six points and pulling in five rebounds, and allowing Rosel to get more rest than usual.
“(Santistevan) was absolutely fantastic," Kellogg said. “She can do that stuff. The hard part for Jenna is that she plays behind Rosel, so she doesn't get those opportunities."
The Skyhawks continued the onslaught in the second half, allowing Augustana to get no closer than 15 points the rest of the way. Kellogg emptied his bench with 2:05 remaining, with the effort from the regulars bringing the crowd to its feet.
All five starters scored in double figures for FLC, led by Rosel with 14. Audrey George returned to form following her ankle injury, depositing a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
“I think last game it took me pretty much that whole game to just settle down," the senior said. “I feel back to normal now, and wasn't forcing anything. I think that's what worked better for me."
George, not known for her jump shooting prowess, also netted two late 3-pointers.
The Skyhawks were a blistering 13 of 24 from beyond the arc, led by Abby Jackson's 4-for-6 performance. The junior point guard scored 12 points.
George laughed when asked about her slightly uncharacteristic 3-point makes.
“It felt so good. (Augustana) was just not going to come out, so I was just going to be confident and take it," she said. Perhaps the most telling statistic for both teams was found in the assist and turnover columns. Augustana committed 16 turnovers with only 12 assists.
“(The Skyhawks) pressure, they're a good defensive team, they go after you full-court for 40 minutes," Krauth said. FLC, on the other hand, assisted on 24 of their 28 baskets, committing only 10 turnovers.
“Like coach was saying, we really worked on setting up our cuts and getting people open," Jackson said.
With the win, the Skyhawks improved to 32-3 this season.
Augustana finished the year 24-7.
Next up for FLC will be Monday's regional final game with Concordia-St. Paul, 83-56 winners over Colorado State-Pueblo on Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Whalen Gym.
Kellogg admittedly knows little about his Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opponent, with just a limited chance to watch its games this weekend. What he does know is that the Golden Bears are all that stand between the Skyhawks and their preseason goal of advancing to the Elite 8 in St. Joseph, Mo.
“I think we're right where we want to be, and (the team is) excited as heck (for Monday), especially coming off of this game," the coach said.
Box Score
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