As far back as October, the place notorious criminal Jesse James once called home was on the minds of the Fort Lewis College women's basketball team. Through all the sprints and drills, wins and losses, injuries and setbacks, the mission was to earn a trip to the northwestern Missouri city, home of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

Mission accomplished.

Before a raucous crowd of 1,875, the Skyhawks rallied from a six-point second half deficit to knock off Concordia-St. Paul 73-64 in the Central Region Tournament final Monday at Whalen Gymnasium, earning the first trip to the Elite Eight in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women's history.

“We've had our ups and downs, and to come off with this after four years, (we) couldn't ask for anything better," senior guard Laura Haugen said of the accomplishment.

It was by no means easy for Fort Lewis. The Golden Bears used a 10-0 run in the middle of the second half to pull ahead 53-47 with 6:55 remaining, but they couldn't put the Skyhawks away.

Haugen, scoreless with 6:39 remaining, caught fire. She scored eight points during an 11-0 run that put the nation's No. 6 team ahead 58-53 with 5:01 left.

“I stayed confident, and my teammates stayed confident in me most of the game, saying, 'Your time's going to come,'" Haugen said.

Concordia battled back to tie the game at 60 on a three-point play by Jamie Jones with 3:37 left. But after an Audrey George bucket, Abby Jackson, who led FLC with 17 points, was fouled twice, including once while attempting a 3, and buried all five free throws as part of an 8-0 run to put the game away.

“Winning baskets makes championships," Concordia coach Paul Fessler said. “And they made more than we did."

Free throws weren't as kind to the visiting Bears. Concordia made just 7 of 13 attempts in the second half. The usually dependable 3-point shot wasn't there for the nation's 21st ranked team either. The Golden Bears hit just four shots from beyond the arc Monday.

“Considering (the first half) was the worst, most pathetic offensive performance we've had all year, I was like, let's go back and make the game simple. Whoever puts the ball through the hoop the most wins," Fessler said of his halftime speech.

Unfortunately for Fessler's club, the Skyhawks held a usually hot-shooting Concordia team to just 23.1 percent in the first half and 36.1 percent for the game. Concordia came into Monday's contest averaging 81.5 points per game.

A huge part of the reason for Concordia's shooting woes was the effectiveness of Fort Lewis' defensive activity, especially in the first half. RMAC Defensive Player of the Year Audrey George was everywhere early on, blocking four shots in the first half and helping keep Concordia's best 3-point shooters in check with her ability to close out on them.

“We limited a lot, contested just about every shot in the first half," FLC coach Mark Kellogg said.

The home crowd likely didn't help matters much for Concordia. A loud, rally-towel waving contingent was energetic from the tip and included a large group of students, who resumed classes Monday after last week's spring break. The FLC men's basketball team was well-represented in the student section, including a sumo-suit clad Daniel Steffensen.

The emotional lift provided by the largest crowd to witness a home FLC women's basketball game was not lost on the Skyhawks.

Additionally, the win completed an undefeated home slate for Fort Lewis.

“(The crowd) really kept us in it when we were down; the crowd really helped," senior guard Lauren McCulloch said.

Offense wasn't as much of a problem for the home squad, as all five FLC starters scored in double-figures for the second consecutive night. RMAC Player of the Year Allison Rosel notched her fifth double-double of the season, making up for an unusually quiet second half offensively by pulling down 17 rebounds to go with 12 points.

“I guess we can say size doesn't always matter," Rosel said with a grin, referring to Concordia's size advantage in the post.

Rosel had a little encouragement before Monday's contest.

“Before the game, I told her she should get 30 (rebounds)," George said, drawing laughs from the other four FLC seniors present at the postgame press conference.

The Skyhawks were able to break open a back-and-forth first half with an 11-0 run, paced by Jackson's two 3-pointers, to lead 29-19 with 2:21 left before intermission. The teams traded buckets the rest of the way, capped by George's three-point play with 42.1 seconds left.

Foul trouble plagued Concordia center Gillian Bjerke in the second half, picking up her third and fourth fouls before the TV timeout with less than 12 minutes to play in regulation. The 6-3 senior logged just 18 minutes but still managed to pick up 10 points.

“All the contact and the physical play down there, I've got to look at that," Fessler said. “We can't be without (Bjerke). … We couldn't keep her in the game enough."

Maurika Hickman led the Golden Bears, who finished their season 26-6, with 18 points, with All-Central Region Tournament selections Jineen Williams and Jones chipping in 15 and 13, respectively.

Rosel was selected the Central Region Tournament Most Valuable Player, and Haugen and Katie Mackey were also selected to the all-tournament team.

But the most important accolade for Fort Lewis was shared by the entire team, that of Central Region champion. Now that the preseason goal has been attained, Kellogg said it's time for the 33-3 Skyhawks to adjust their list.

“We haven't talked too much about the next step … I guess (today) we'll probably be having a redefining of goals," a beaming Kellogg said.

The Skyhawks are set to arrive for their first Elite Eight appearance Sunday, and they will take on 24-3 Seattle Pacific on March 23, at a time yet to be announced. The Falcons, themselves regional hosts, advanced with Monday's 76-68 tournament championship over Chico State in the West.

But for now, the Skyhawks are enjoying the latest accomplishment in their historic season.

“We've been talking all season, the start of preseason … this is for Missouri," Haugen said. “Now we're going to Missouri, and that's all that matters."

rowens@durangoherald.com 

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