PORTALES, N.M. – Kylie Santos netted a three-pointer with 42 seconds left in regulation off of an in-bounds set play to break a 56-56 tie and lift the Fort Lewis College women's basketball team to a 59-56 win at Eastern New Mexico University Tuesday night in the Zias home opener.  The win improves the Skyhawks to 3-1 on the season.
 
The Skyhawks only lead in the first half was for 34 seconds as the Zias took a 26-23 lead into the lockerroom at halftime.  The Skyhawks responded in the second half with a 14-2 run in the opening two minutes and 21 seconds.  FLC owned a nine point lead (54-45) over the Zias with 5:58 left in regulation before ENMU outscored the Skyhawks 9-2 to knot the game, 56-56 and 1:50 left in the game.  Fort Lewis held the Zias scoreless the remainder of the game as Santos shot from long range proved to be the game-winner.
 
"We played pretty well in the beginning of the second half," said Fort Lewis College head women's basketball coach Jason Flores.   "Defense won us the game tonight.  This was their first home game and there was a lot of energy in the arena, so to hold them to 56 points was a good defensive effort.  We got some unlucky breaks down the stretch, but they fought through them on the road and that helps our team down the stretch."
 
Mary Brinton led all scorers with 19 points.  She added a team high six rebounds and made 8-of-11 field goals.  Skylyn Webb came off the bench to score 10 points. Webb netted all four attempts from the floor and 2-of-3 free throws. Santos finished with eight points, six of which came from long range.  Kaile Magazzeni  posted a game high five assists to go with her three steals, two blocks and six points.
 
After shooting 36.4 percent from the floor in the first half, the Skyhawks made 15-of-31 in the second half (48.4 percent) to finish the game 23-of-53 (43.4 percent).  They held the Zias to a 36.4 shooting percentage (20-of-55) and 26.1 percent from behind the arc (6-of-23).
 
The Skyhawks netted 38 points in the paint to ENMU's 22.  FLC also chipped in 20 points off of the Zia's 22 turnovers, and the Skyhawks bench out-scored ENMU, 26-12.
 
Fort Lewis will play an exhibition game at Northern Arizona University on Saturday at 2 p.m.  The game will count as an official contest for the Lumberjacks.