Box Score

PUEBLO, Colo. — No. 6 Fort Lewis (19-2, 16-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) led by as many as 17 points in the first half and survived a furious second half rally to earn a 61-55 win over Colorado State-Pueblo (17-4, 14-3) tonight at Massari Arena

“That first half was as good as we've played all year in terms of energy on both ends. We forced them to turn it over which resulted in some easy points,” said seventh-year FLC head coach Mark Kellogg. “The second half was the complete opposite. It's almost like we assumed the game was over at halftime.”

The tale of two halves saw Fort Lewis shoot 51.5 percent from the field in the first frame, knocking down 17 of 33 shots as they took a 40-24 lead into the locker room at intermission.

The Skyhawks went cold, though, in the second stanza, making just seven of 25 field goals (28 percent).

Fort Lewis' defense proved to be its saving grace. The ThunderWolves shot just 32.8 percent from the field (20 of 61) and 26.3 percent from behind the arc (five of 19).

“Both defenses were pretty locked in,” Kellogg said of the second half. “We did a pretty good job and forced some tough shots.”

Dana Schreibvogel, last week's RMAC/Baden Defensive Player of the Week, led the Skyhawks with 16 points, six rebounds, and four steals. Mary Rose Paiz added 12 points and six caroms. Jenna Santistevan ripped down 10 boards and blocked a pair of shots.

Colorado State-Pueblo's Laurel Kearsley led all players with 18 points. She also had nine rebounds. Erica Hicks had 13 points, but was just 1-of-6 from three-point range.

Fort Lewis continues its road trip through southern Colorado with a 5:30 p.m. tilt at UC-Colorado Springs (11-11, 7-10) tomorrow.

“It doesn't mean anything if we don't win tomorrow,” said Kellogg. “We've got to take care of business.”

The Skyhawks maintain a half-game lead over No. 7 Metro State (20-2, 16-2) in the RMAC standings.