Box Score
LAS VEGAS, N.M. — No. 6 Fort Lewis (11-1 overall, 8-0 in the
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) built a 22-point first half lead and then weathered a furious rally by New Mexico Highlands (7-6, 3-6) to remain unbeaten in league play Friday night at the John A. Wilson Complex. The Skyhawks held on for a 79-71 win to open their two-game swing through New Mexico.
“I was a little disappointed with our effort for the majority of the game,” said seventh-year FLC head coach Mark Kellogg. “I thought for about 13 minutes in the first half we were really good and then we got that 22-point lead with about two-and-a-half minutes to go (in the first half). We just got in that coast mode and thought we were going to win the basketball game or it was going to be handed to us.
A layup by
Jenna Santistevan 3:29 into the game gave the Skyhawks a 10-8 lead — one that they'd never relinquish. It also ignited a 17-0 FLC run over the next six minutes. A
Jamie Simmons steal and layup with 2:21 left in the first frame gave the Skyhawks their biggest lead (22 points) at 41-19.
Then the Cowgirls closed the gap. Highlands went on a 6-0 run to close the gap to 16 at halftime (41-25) and began whittling the lead in the second stanza.
“Highlands did a good job. They kept coming at us,” said Kellogg. “We didn't have a great answer for it. I thought we got out-toughed a bit, missed way too many layups, turned it over too much, and just got really sloppy in what I call the coast mode. We were just coasting through the game.”
Alyssa Lopez did most of the damage, lighting up the Skyhawks to the tune of 31 points on a 12-of-18 shooting night from the floor. Whitley Coca added 14 for the Cowgirls.
Fort Lewis, on the other hand, relied on a balanced attack.
Dana Schreibvogel led the Skyhawks with 13 points, while Simmons and
Erika Richards added 11 each and
Mary Rose Paiz chipped in 10.
The Cowgirls outrebounded Fort Lewis 31-29, although FLC's Simmons led all players with nine caroms.
A rarity for a Kellogg-coached team, the Skyhawks lost the turnover battle by a 25-23 clip.
Free throw shooting proved clutch for FLC, as the Skyhawks went 29-of-31 from the charity stripe, a blistering .935 night from the line. Highlands shot a respectable .833 from the line, making 15-of-18 free throws.
“We did a great job from the free throw line. That was the one positive from the night,” said Kellogg. “We got out of there with a win, which is not the worst thing in the world. But it was definitely not a great performance. We maybe took a step back tonight. Hopefully we'll regroup and make the long trip down to Silver City and get after those guys.”
The Skyhawks complete their road trip at Western New Mexico (0-12, 0-9) at 5:30 p.m. tonight.
