Box score
 
DENVER — Erika Richards scored 20 points and Christie Groh chipped in 18 as Fort Lewis (8-6 overall, 7-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) beat Regis (6-8, 5-5) 73-58 tonight in the Regis Fieldhouse.
 
“I'm really proud of our players,” said first-year FLC head coach Jason Flores. “They've come together and we're playing some really good basketball right now. And that's all the credit to them. They've taken things and they've run with it. We're battling and we're trapping and we're doing what we need to do to have success. I told them after the game that it's fun to coach this group because of that kind of effort.”
 
Richards went 6-of-10 from the field and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe to pace the Skyhawks. Groh added 18 points on 9-of-16 shooting and narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds.
 
“Christie had a good first half for us,” said Flores. “We're able to get some inside scoring, which opened up the perimeter for us.”
 
That allowed FLC to shoot a respectable 7-of-21 from behind the arc (33.3 percent) and stretch the lead to double digits for most of the second half.
 
“Other than our turnovers, this was a good effort,” said Flores. “Offensively, if we can take care of the ball a little bit better then we're in a pretty good rhythm.”
 
Alex Easterbrook (12 points) and Ashley Kuchar (10 points) also scored in double figures.
 
Fort Lewis shot 45 percent from the field (27 of 60). The team also dished off 19 assists, with Kuchar leading the way with five helpers.
 
Regis shot just 36.1 percent from the floor (22 of 61) and 30 percent from long range (6 of 20). The Rangers did manage to slightly outrebound the Skyhawks, 34-33.
 
Tae'lor Purdy led all scorers with 21 points. She also notched a double-double with 10 rebounds. Brandi Collins added 17 points for the Rangers.
 
 “It's a big win for us,” said Flores. “Obviously we were a game ahead of Regis in the standings coming in so that was important. It kept us in the hunt in the conference. We're a game behind Metro going in there tomorrow afternoon.
 
“The thing that we're not is afraid,” he said of tomorrow's showdown with the Roadrunners (10-5, 8-2), the preseason pick to win the RMAC. “We got this one and we're going to turn our attention to them. We're going to go and give them a game. And that's our mentality.”
 
Metro State defeated Adams State 59-47 tonight. The Roadrunners — who swept FLC in two meetings last year including the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs — host Fort Lewis at 5 p.m. at the Auraria Events Center.
 
The FLC Department of Athletics and Alumni Association are teaming to host the annual Blake Street Alumni Basketball Bash from 3-9 p.m. tomorrow at the Blake Street Tavern, located at 2301 Blake Street in LoDo, just a block north of Coors Field. Alumni can meet FLC President Dene Kay Thomas, Director of Athletics Gary Hunter and others while enjoying complementary appetizers and a cash bar in a family-friendly environment. A free shuttle will run from the Blake Street Tavern to Metro State and back from 4:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday so that fans can attend both the alumni event and the women's and men's basketball games. RSVPs are required for this free event: call (970) 247-6111 to RSVP. Fort Lewis alumni, boosters and parents are invited. Tickets to the FLC vs. Metro State games will be available for purchase.