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Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

Jordan Vasquez 2.28
Maureen Pasley, FLC Athletics
FLC freshman Jordan Vasquez led all Skyhawks with 15 points and six rebounds in Friday's loss to Adams State (File Photo).
57
Fort Lewis FLCWBB 15-12, 11-11 RMA
63
Winner Adams State ASWB 4-24, 4-18 RMAC
Fort Lewis FLCWBB
15-12, 11-11 RMA
57
Final
63
Adams State ASWB
4-24, 4-18 RMAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Fort Lewis FLCWBB 13 11 13 20 57
Adams State ASWB 17 6 14 26 63

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | David Wilson, Assistant AD-Communications

Skyhawks fall 63-57 on the road to Adams State to end 2019-2020 season

ALAMOSA, Colorado — The Fort Lewis College women's basketball team had its 2019-2020 season come to an end Friday evening, falling by a 63-57 final on the road to nearby rival Adams State University.

Fort Lewis (15-12 overall, 11-11 RMAC) finishes ninth in the RMAC regular season standings, just one spot shy of the eighth and final qualifying spot for the RMAC Tournament, which went to Metropolitan State University of Denver after it secured an 83-79 win over Chadron State.

The Skyhawks, needing a win or a Metro State loss on Friday, put themselves in prime position to make the postseason as they held a 49-45 lead with 3:50 remaining, but were unable to close the door on the hometown Grizzlies (4-24 overall, 4-18 RMAC).

"We're all hurting. This was obviously a big game for us and one we felt we could win, but we didn't end up on the winning side," said FLC head coach, Orlando Griego. "I feel bad for our team. We fought really hard and fought all throughout the year, but we just couldn't put it all together."

Late turnovers were a key turning point in the fourth quarter as FLC, which had limited its giveaways to just eight through the first three quarters, committed six in the fourth, including four during the final 1:15.

Adams State took advantage of the extra possessions with a 7-0 run — five points coming off turnovers — to create a 59-52 cushion with 25 seconds remaining.

"When Adams (scored to go ahead), it was fine. There was still plenty of time on the clock for us to run a play and execute. But sometimes when you don't execute, a team can expose that, shoot gaps and try to gamble (defensively)," Griego said. "I don't feel like we really executed our plays to run through them and get the best shot possible, or get the ball in-bounds to give us a chance to shoot it."

Leading the way for the Skyhawks on Friday was freshman Jordan Vasquez with 15 points and six rebounds, while junior Katrina Chandler and Sydney Candelaria joined her in double-figures with 12 points and 10 points, respectively.

Candelaria and Chandler, who combined for nine rebounds from the guard positions, were the offensive catalysts in the first half as Candelaria tallied seven of her 10 points and Chandler added six to help the Skyhawks take a 24-23 lead into the locker rooms. Chandler would also bury the transition layup with 3:50 remaining that gave FLC its 49-45 lead in the fourth.

Junior forward Jordan Carter finished with eight points, and the FLC senior trio of Kaitlyn Romero (five points), Aubre Fortner (four points) and Kayla Herrera-Flores (three points) rounded out the scoring for the Skyhawks.

As a team, the Skyhawks finished the evening 21-of-59 (36%), while Adams State also made 21 field goals (21-of-56, 38%), with the big difference coming from behind the 3-point line. The Grizzlies were 8-of-28 (29%) from the 3-point line, while the Skyhawks were 3-of-23 (13%).

"We gave up some open looks and we weren't able to see a ball go in," said Griego, referencing the 3-point shooting. "We struggled shooting the ball from the perimeter consistently and that'll be one thing we need to get better at. Things will get better for us next year if we can knock a couple more of those down."

Fort Lewis, originally picked to finish No. 11 in the RMAC coaches' preseason poll, will now turn its attention toward the offseason and build upon the positives from the 2019-2020 season.

"I feel good about what we've done. Obviously, we've gained a lot of close-game experience and now it's just a matter of being able to piece it all together," Griego said. "I'm really proud of our team, proud of how they adapted to me in my first year, my style and what we're bringing to Fort Lewis women's basketball. We had a good year, but we have to keep getting better. We're not going to settle."
 
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