Box Score

DURANGO, Colo. — No. 4 Fort Lewis (14-1 overall, 11-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) held Colorado Mines (5-12, 4-7) to the fourth fewest points by an opponent in FLC history as the Skyhawks coasted to a 74-32 win tonight in Whalen Gymnasium.

“A good game for us … good effort, good energy again,” was how seventh-year FLC head coach Mark Kellogg summed up the contest.

The Skyhawk defense limited the Orediggers to just 23.6 percent shooting from the field (13 of 55) and 12.5 percent from three-point range (two of 16).

“I thought the defensive effort and intensity were really good,” said Kellogg. We were kind of flying around, challenging and contesting some shots and obviously forced them to take some tough shots. When they were open, they missed some, too, that they probably usually make. We think our defense probably had something to do with that. We sped them up a little bit maybe more than they were used to playing.”

The Skyhawk defense blocked six shots — two by reserve post Jamie Simmons — and forced 17 turnovers.

Mines scored just 13 points in the first half. In fact, an Oredigger starter didn't score a field goal until Stephanie Fogle's layup with 4:19 left in the opening frame as the Skyhawks took a 37-13 lead into the locker room. The second half wasn't much different, with FLC winning that period by a 37-19 clip.

On the offensive side, sophomore guards Ashley Kuchar and Erika Richards led a balanced FLC attack with 13 points each, while Jamie Simmons added 12.

“Pretty balanced offensively … pretty good night there,” said Kellogg. “We settled a little bit. We got out and played some man, they played some man, played some zone, so we got to work on some different offenses.”

Point guard Katerina Garcia was the lone Skyhawk starter to play more than 20 minutes in the game, as Kellogg was able to go to his bench early and often.

Fort Lewis also dominated the glass, outrebounding CSM 47-32. Simmons led the way with seven caroms, while Kaile Magazzeni, Mary Rose Paiz, and Jenna Santistevan snatched six board each. Magazzeni grabbed her six caroms in just seven minutes of action.

Fort Lewis distributed 18 assists, led by Garcia's five helpers. Stephanie Beeman added four.

Fogle led the Orediggers with six points.

Fort Lewis didn't shoot particularly well on the night — a workmanlike 42.1 percent from the field (24 of 57) and 38.1 percent from three-point land (eight of 21). The Skyhawks did make the most of their chances at the charity stripe, sinking 18 of 21 attempts (85.7 percent).

The win sets up a Top 10 showdown for RMAC bragging rights. The Skyhawks travel to Denver next weekend for games at No. 7 Metro State (14-1, 10-1) at 5 p.m. Friday and at Regis (6-11, 4-7) at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Both teams have something extra to play for in Friday's game. The Skyhawks swept Metro State a year ago, blowing out the Roadrunners 73-47 in Durango and winning the RMAC Shootout championship game 65-57 in Pueblo, Colo. The Roadrunners, on the other hand, won the 2010-11 RMAC regular season crown by a single game over the Skyhawks and won the NCAA Division II Central Regional title in Whalen Gymnasium last March after the Skyhawks suffered a first-round, overtime upset loss to Adams State.

“Obviously, it's a pretty big weekend coming up, but not just for Metro,” said Kellogg. “We're going on the road in a week. We'll get back at it Monday and get ready for a big road trip.”