Box score
 
DURANGO, Colo. — Twenty-four hours removed from a dismal shooting performance, the Fort Lewis women's basketball team  (9-8 overall, 8-5 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) found its shooting touch and offensive balance in an 80-73 win over Colorado Mines (11-8, 8-5) tonight in Whalen Gymnasium.
 
“I'm happy with the way that we came out tonight,” said first-year FLC head coach Jason Flores, whose troops built a 9-0 lead to start the game and went more than three minutes before allowing the Orediggers to score.
 
“The beginning of the game was important for us coming off a really disappointing loss last night where we couldn't buy a bucket,” he said. “I thought it was really important that we came out with a lot of focus. We could have gone down a bad road or a good road and our players came out and played hard and were really focused. Obviously, we made some shots early and got a lead. I think that was a big factor for us tonight. We were also able to maintain it.”
 
The Skyhawks never trailed and didn't allow the Orediggers to get closer than seven points in the second frame. Fort Lewis led 44-31 at intermission.
 
Fort Lewis had a balanced attack with five players in double figures. Christie Groh led the way with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Alex Easterbrook continued her hot shooting, knocking down four three-pointers en route to a 15-point, five-assist effort. Katerina Garcia had 12 points and distributed eight assists. Erika Richards gritted her way to a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. And Mary Brinton came off the bench to score 10 points and grab eight boards in just 12 minutes of action.
 
“We were really balanced, which is always a good sign for us,” said Flores. “I'm really pleased with 23 assists out of 30 field goals. That's a great stat for us — as is 23 assists and 11 turnovers. When we play like that, we usually have a lot of success.”
 
Fort Lewis shot well from all areas: 46.2 percent from the field (30 of 65), 38.1 percent from behind the arc (eight of 21) and 75 percent from the charity stripe (12 of 16).
 
The Skyhawks also limited Mines' effectiveness. The Orediggers shot 37.5 percent from the field (24 of 64) and 27.3 percent from behind the arc (six of 22).
 
One player that FLC couldn't stop was Taylor Helbig, who exploded for 28 points on 5-of-7 shooting from long distance. Allie Grazulis (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Angie Charchalis (10 points, 10 rebounds) notched double-doubles.
 
“It was a good bounce back,” Flores said of a game that catapulted FLC into a fifth-place tie in the RMAC standings with the Orediggers. “They're a good team and we had to play really well to get a victory.”
 
The Skyhawks hit the road for their next three, starting with Adams State (7-10, 4-9) at 6 p.m. next Saturday at Plachy Hall in Alamosa. The Skyhawks defeated the Grizzlies 69-55 in Durango on Dec. 8.