Box Score

DURANGO, Colo. — No. 4 Fort Lewis (23-1 overall, 18-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) soared past Colorado Mines (7-17, 3-16) 74-48 tonight in Whalen Gymnasium to extend its school-record home winning streak to 44 games.

Dana Schreibvogel scored 18 points on eight-of-11 shooting from the field and Abby Jackson made four three-pointers to add 14 for the Skyhawks. Katerina Garcia came off the bench to score 10 points on five-of-six shooting from the field as all 11 FLC players scored.

Fort Lewis found itself trailing 6-0 early before Schreibvogel's two foul shots 1:48 into the game finally got the home squad on the board. Mines held tough for the first four minutes, tying the score at 10-10 before a nine-point Skyhawk run broke the game open.

Defense proved to be the key to FLC's success, as the Skyhawks forced 33 Mines turnovers. Fort Lewis notched 19 steals and three blocked shots during the game. Four players — Jackson, Schreibvogel, Jenna Santistevan and Erika Richards — each had three thefts.

“I thought our defensive pressure was pretty good for most of the night,” said sixth-year FLC head coach Mark Kellogg. “Our defensive pressure dictated the flow and the tempo of the game for the majority of it.”

Still, some inconsistencies caught the coach's eye. “We just had a few too many lulls, more offensively than defensively,” he said. “I thought we settled for [poor] shots, took too many perimeter shots and didn't get to the free throw line as much as I'd like.”

Fort Lewis did manage to protect the ball, committing just 10 turnovers while passing for 17 assists. Mary Rose Paiz led the way with five helpers.

The Orediggers were led by Brecca Gaffney, who turned in a monster line of 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks. Katie Carty came off the bench to add 10 points and seven caroms.

“We got the win and got rested up for tomorrow,” Kellogg summarized.

The Skyhawk skipper won't have to give much of a pregame pep talk tomorrow, when the Skyhawks close their regular season home schedule with a 5:30 p.m. showdown with Colorado Christian (16-7, 14-5). The Cougars lost a tightly-contested game at Adams State tonight, 81-78.

Colorado Christian handed Fort Lewis its only loss of the season, an 80-79 heartbreaker in Lakewood on Jan. 14 in a game that saw FLC lead from wire to wire. The Cougars tied the game with a basket at the buzzer and won it with a free throw with no time remaining.

Saturday's game marks the final home contest for Jackson, the lone senior on the Skyhawk roster. Jackson, who is FLC's career leader in victories (111), assists (367) and three-pointers (218), will be recognized during pregame festivities.

The Skyhawks remain in a dogfight for the RMAC regular season title with No. 11 Metro State (23-1, 19-1), which owns a half-game lead in the league standings. The Roadrunners defeated Western New Mexico 73-53 in Denver tonight.