Written By: Durango Herald Sports Staff Ryan Owens
PUEBLO - Fort Lewis College's
Allison Rosel had worked four years for this moment.
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year in women's basketball just put her head down, drove the baseline, and calmly, yet powerfully, laid the ball in for a 60-59 lead, the Skyhawks' first since an 11-8 lead with 12 minutes left in the first half.
We've talked all year, it comes down to getting the one stop when you need it, and we didn't get it.
The clock showed 31.1 seconds left.
Despite Rosel's best efforts, 31 seconds turned out to be too long, then not long enough for the Skyhawks on Saturday at the Colorado State Fair Events Center.
Freshman Katrina Selsor's drive and hook with 3 seconds remaining put CSU-Pueblo on top 61-60, and Laura Haugen's 10-footer at the horn glanced harmlessly off the rim, giving the ThunderWolves their fourth RMAC Shootout title in five years and marked the fifth consecutive season CSU-Pueblo has sent FLC packing in the league tournament.
“It stings, I'm not going to lie," Skyhawks coach Mark Kellogg said.
Selsor caught the ball at the free throw line, then bulled her way to the bucket, tossing in the game-winner with 3 seconds left.
After a series of timeouts, the Skyhawks inbounded the ball to half-court before calling timeout with 1.4 seconds left. Abby Jackson's inbound pass to Haugen gave the senior the ball running to her right, but her runner from the baseline hit the front of the rim, setting off a raucous celebration from the ThunderWolves and a fairly partisan crowd.
“When the ball came to me, I took it as hard as I could to do it for my team," Selsor said.
Selsor, the most valuable player of the Shootout, was unstoppable, scoring 28 points for the ThunderWolves, who pulled themselves right off the tournament bubble and locked themselves into the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championships, potentially setting up a rematch against FLC in the first round.
ThunderWolves coach Kip Drown said he thought knocking off three of the region's top nine teams this weekend should earn them a higher seed. CSU-Pueblo beat Adams State and Colorado Christian along with the Skyhawks.
“I really felt like if we won (Saturday night) that we'd jump to (the) seven (seed)," he said. “I'll be really disappointed if we don't get a seven seed."
The time off will give both teams a chance to get healthy. Fort Lewis was without Audrey George all weekend because of a high ankle sprain, and CSU-Pueblo point guard Rachel Espinoza also sat out because of injury.
Regardless of what happens during today's selection show, Drown is happier to be worrying about seeding than making the tournament at all.
“If we hadn't won (Saturday night), it was going to be a really, really tough fit. I don't think we'd have gotten in," he said.
FLC struggled from the 3-point stripe, hitting just 21 percent of their shots from distance. Their answer for a lackluster jump-shooting night was Rosel, who scored 16 points in the second half, all of which came from within 5 feet of the rim.
“They couldn't stop me for the time being, so we did what we could inside while we could because we weren't really hitting outside shots," the senior forward said.
FLC fought through a stellar evening from Selsor and Kami Dahlberg, who scored 15 points. The Skyhawks battled back late, erasing a 59-51 deficit with 2:27 left with a 9-0 run, capped by Rosel's basket with 31 seconds left.
But in the end, Selsor seemed to have an answer for most every Fort Lewis comeback bid, killing the Skyhawks' momentum several times with key baskets, none bigger than her last.
Kellogg lamented the lack of key stops down the stretch.
“We've talked all year, it comes down to getting the one stop when you need it, and we didn't get it," he said.
The lack of outside shooting plagued FLC from the start. The Skyhawks shot a paltry 18 percent from 3 in the first half and just 34.5 percent overall.
CSU-Pueblo also was fairly successful in breaking the Skyhawks' press, which rattled Metro State on Friday, leading to a 34-26 halftime lead.
The poor shooting and lack of timely stops were what allowed CSU-Pueblo to eliminate the Skyhawks for the fifth consecutive year. But the Skyhawks can ill-afford to dwell on the missed opportunity to add to the trophy collection. The NCAA tournament begins Friday, and FLC will have to rely on lessons from past heartbreak in the RMAC Shootout on how to regroup before play restarts.
The Skyhawks were able to put last season's Shootout loss to CSU-Pueblo behind them, making a run to the Sweet 16 before falling to eventual national champion Minnesota State-Mankato.
“I think it does kind of humble us a little bit, to get us back to earth, and stay humble and hungry is the phrase we use," FLC senior Katie Mackey said.
But for the time being, the Skyhawks will have to stomach a feeling they haven't felt since Jan. 3 against West Texas A&M - the feeling of coming up short at the end of 40 minutes. Fort Lewis won 17 games in between the two defeats. “I hope it hurts for a night," Kellogg said.
“But you get over it, and you move forward."
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rowens@durangoherald.com
