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Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

Sydney Candelaria
Max DeHerrera/Sports Fanatic Photography
59
Fort Lewis FLC 0-3,0-0 RMAC
72
Winner Western Colo. WC 2-1,0-0 RMAC
Fort Lewis FLC
0-3,0-0 RMAC
59
Final
72
Western Colo. WC
2-1,0-0 RMAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Fort Lewis FLC 16 13 19 11 59
Western Colo. WC 16 25 21 10 72

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Angela Roberts, Athletic Communications Assistant

Skyhawks Fall to Mountaineers in Nonconference Action; Candelaria Picks Up Career High 27 Points

GUNNISON, Colo. – A slow second quarter for the Fort Lewis College women's basketball team proved to be the difference in a 72-59 loss in a nonconference matchup with Western Colorado University on Wednesday night. Redshirt senior Sydney Candelaria put up a career-high 27 points in the loss to lead all players.

Fort Lewis falls to 0-3 on the year while Western Colorado improves to 2-1 overall.

The Skyhawks shot 45.1 percent (23-of-51) from the field to mark a season-best. The Mountaineers bested FLC from the field, posting a 52.1 percent (25-of-48) mark. Threes were a deciding factor in the contest with Western knocking down 11 to just four for the Skyhawks. Defensively, the teams were evenly matched with 27 rebounds.

Candelaria's 27 points led the way while redshirt juniors Alyssa Adams and Brooke McGee followed with 10 apiece. Candelaria paced the team with six rebounds, followed by five for McGee. Candelaria dished out four helpers and ran away with three steals—both leading the way.

"Sydney played with a lot of confidence tonight and did a great job of spacing the floor to allow her to attack the basket," said head coach Taylor Harris. "When you have a special player like Syd, it's fun to watch her have a great night like tonight. In addition, having Brooke back in the lineup really helped us, especially when she hit the early shots to give us an energy boost. She's a solid player that's playing some of the best basketball of her career, and we are glad to have her back.

McGee got then evening started by putting up the first five points of the game. Western came back with seven-straight to go up 7-5 with 6:35 on the clock. Adams and Candelaria followed with a pair of layups to give FLC a 9-7 advantage. The quarter saw four more tied scores down the stretch with a Mountaineer three tying the game at 16-16 heading into the second quarter.

The Skyhawks reclaimed the lead to begin the second quarter off a layup from Candelaria. From there, the Mountaineers enjoyed an eight-point run to see a 25-18 edge with seven minutes remaining in the half. FLC chipped away at the lead, pulling within one point at 26-25 after a three pointer from redshirt sophomore Tayla Nez. Western started to get hot from beyond the arc, hitting a trio of threes to take a sizable 37-27 advantage with 1:43 to go. Free throws were scattered in the final moments of the half with the home team taking a 41-29 lead into the break.

Candelaria and redshirt freshman Claudia Vidal teamed up for four points out of the locker room to see the deficit drop to eight points. The Mountaineers rebuilt a commanding lead with a scoring run before a layup from Candelaria had the score at 47-35 with seven minutes on the clock. The Skyhawks continued to feed the hot hand, finding Candelaria for six points to find the score at 57-42 with 3:33 to go. Freshman Piper Terry got in on the action, dropping in a layup for the first points of her Skyhawk career at the 2:47 mark. The teams traded points through the final minutes of the quarter with the score sitting at 62-48 heading into the final quarter.

Three Skyhawks picked up points in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter with the score moving to 67-54 with 6:16 remaining. Candelaria found her 27th point of the outing with a layup to bring the score to 67-56. McGee knocked down a three with under four minutes to go to cut the lead to 67-59, but the Mountaineers earned the last five points of the game to run away with a 72-59 win.

"Our team is growing. It's just going to take time on the court together and understanding of how to put together 40 minutes. There is a lot of growth, though. I am so proud of the fight in our team," acknowledged Harris. "We fought until the end at a tough place like Western. The progress is showing, and I really feel our team is on the verge of turning the corner to something special."

Fort Lewis (0-3) will return home for a Sunday matinee versus Northern New Mexico College. The game will be recognized as the school's Nike N7 game. Since 2009, the Nike N7 Fund has awarded more than $7.5 million in grants to 259 Native American and Aboriginal communities and organizations. Fort Lewis is one of only 15 institutions nationwide selected to participate in the Nike N7 Games, celebrating Native American Heritage Month.

The FLC women's basketball team features four players with Native American backgrounds, including Destiny Kessay (White Mountain Apache), Ember Cervantes (Mescalero Apache), Charlize Valdez (Southern Ute) and Tayla Nez (Navajo). Both Skyhawks teams will proudly sport turquoise Nike N7 uniforms during Sunday's contests as the color represents harmony, friendship and fellowship in the Native American culture.
 
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