Box Score

DURANGO, Colo. — Jamie Simmons came off the bench to help No. 15 Fort Lewis (21-4 overall, 18-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) overcome a sluggish start and cruise to an 87-52 win over Western State (13-14, 12-9) tonight in Whalen Gymnasium on FLC's annual Family Night.

The senior center scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to keep the Skyhawks' chances of tying No. 7 Metro State (23-2, 19-2) for the RMAC regular season crown.

“Jamie came in and settled us down in the post when we got into foul trouble,” said seventh-year FLC head coach Mark Kellogg.

“It took us awhile to get our first run, which was kind of awkward,” he said. “I didn't like our demeanor early on.”

Western State grabbed a 3-0 lead on Nikko Trujillo's three-pointer 2:25 into the game. The Skyhawks didn't get their first field goal until Mary Rose Paiz's rebound and putback 3:42 into the contest.

The Mountaineers hung tough until the Skyhawks took the lead for good at 18-16 on a Jenna Santistevan fastbreak layup with 8:21 remaining in the first half, igniting a 16-2 FLC run that allowed the Skyhawks to take charge. Fort Lewis led 43-29 at intermission.

With Santistevan and Dana Schreibvogel each picking up two quick fouls, Kellogg went deep into his bench to find relief in the paint.

“Christie Groh came in and played some good minutes in the first half,” said Kellogg. The sophomore finished the game with six points, three rebounds, and two steals.

Junior point guard Katerina Garcia also factored heavily into the victory. While cold from the field (Garcia made just one of five shots), she finished with a strong line of eight rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and one block.

“All in all, I thought she did a good job leading us and getting some good shots,” said Kellogg. “Defensively, she was pretty active.”

Paiz finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Erika Richards came off the bench to go 4-for-4 from behind the arc for 12 points.

Fort Lewis shot well enough when it had to — 44.4 percent from the field (28 of 63), a solid 41.2 percent from three-point range (seven of 17), and a blistering 85.7 percent from the line (24 of 28), but committed far more turnovers (21) than their skipper was happy with.

On the defensive end, though, Fort Lewis shut down the Mountaineers. Western State shot just 24.2 percent from the field (16 of 66) and 35 percent from long range (seven of 20). The Mountaineers committed 23 turnovers.

“No big runs — they just never got going,” said Kellogg.

No Mountaineer scored in double figures. Trujillo and Katie Hall shared the WSC team lead with nine points each. Trujillo added five assists and three steals.

The Skyhawks wrap up the regular season at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow when they host Colorado Mesa (13-12, 11-10). Tomorrow night marks Senior Night and the final regular season home game for Stephanie Beeman, Paiz, Santistevan, Schreibvogel, and Simmons.

Fort Lewis will host an RMAC Shootout quarterfinal game at 6 p.m. Tuesday against an opponent to be determined once the league standings are finalized tomorrow night