Box Score

LAS VEGAS, N.M. — No. 4 Fort Lewis (20-1 overall, 15-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) fired on all cylinders tonight to defeat New Mexico Highlands (10-14, 6-11) 98-62 at the John A. Wilson Complex and notch its school-record fourth straight 20-win season.

The Skyhawks pulled away from the Cowgirls in the second half, outscoring them 56-29 in the frame.

Aside from the contest's early moments, there was little the Skyhawks could do wrong.

“They completely controlled the first five to seven minutes of the game, were making shots and beating our press,” said sixth-year FLC head coach Mark Kellogg. “After that we played really, really well, I can think of [just] one bad shot we took the entire night. We were completely unselfish.”

The Skyhawk skipper said an early substitution of Katerina Garcia instantly changed the game's momentum. “Kat came in and was a big spark for us in the first half,” he said.

He also cited the play of his two forwards, Dana Schreibvogel and Mary Rose Paiz.

Schreibvogel, named the RMAC Athlete of the Month for January yesterday, recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds. She nearly accomplished the feat in the first half alone, scoring 17 points while grabbing nine caroms.

“Dana was just a beast in the first half,” Kellogg said.

Paiz also double-doubled with 15 points and 11 rebounds — the fourth time she's achieved the feat this year.

Two other Skyhawks came off the bench to score in double figures. Erika Richards went 3-of-5 from behind the arc to finish with 15 points, while Christine Groh scored 10 on 4-of-6 shooting from the field.

“That was her best game of her college career,” he said of Groh's performance.

Abby Jackson became FLC's career three-point leader. Her lone trey of the game gave her 208 for her career, one more than former teammate Erin Kerr (2005-09).

The Cowgirls were led by China Smith, who scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. Brianna Gholston (16) and Dominque Rivera (10) also scored in double figures.

Fort Lewis shot well from all areas — .507 from the field (34 of 67), .500 from three-point land (eight of 16) and a torrid .880 from the charity stripe (22 of 25).

On the defensive side, the Skyhawks forced 20 turnovers and notched 13 steals while limiting NMHU to just .365 shooting from the field (19 of 52) and .286 from long distance (four of 14).

The 2010-11 Skyhawks continued a four-year streak of 20-plus wins, most in school history. The 2007-08 squad went 26-4, while the 2008-09 team bettered that with a 28-4 mark, advancing to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16. Last year's Skyhawks went 35-4, advancing to the national championship game.

Prior to Kellogg becoming head coach, FLC posted just three 20-win seasons ever.

Fort Lewis remains a half-game behind No. 13 Metro State (20-1, 16-1) in the RMAC standings. The Roadrunners pulled away from a pesky Colorado Mines squad late to win 64-54. The Skyhawks own the head-to-head advantage over Metro and have a game in hand. FLC is also ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II Central Region.

After back-to-back weekends on the road, the Skyhawks return to Whalen Gymnasium for four straight home games. FLC hosts Colorado State-Pueblo (13-7, 10-6) at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 11 and UC-Colorado Springs (7-13, 6-10) at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12. Fort Lewis will wear pink jerseys next Saturday in their annual WBCA Pink Zone game.