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Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

WBB
David Wilson, FLC Athletics
59
Winner Western Colo. WC 3-5,1-2 RMAC
56
Fort Lewis FLC 1-8,0-3 RMAC
Winner
Western Colo. WC
3-5,1-2 RMAC
59
Final
56
Fort Lewis FLC
1-8,0-3 RMAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Western Colo. WC 17 14 13 15 59
Fort Lewis FLC 16 15 15 10 56

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

FLC Women's Basketball Suffers Narrow Loss to Western Colorado

DURANGO, Colo. – In what would prove to be a back and forth affair, the Fort Lewis College women's basketball team fell by a final score of 59-56 to Western Colorado University behind late free throws on Tuesday evening. The Skyhawks drop to 1-8 overall and 0-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference while the Mountaineers improve to 3-5, 1-2 RMAC.

"I thought that we played really hard for 40 minutes, and we truly left it all out there on the court," said head coach Taylor Harris. "We are getting better and progressing game after game. We are right there…we haven't had the gratification of a victory yet, but we're not defined by that. What defines us is the work that we put in day after day, and our time is going to come."

The game was tight from start to finish, with three of the four quarters being decided by one or two points. Fort Lewis shot 36.2 percent (17-of-47) from the field compared to 40.0 percent (18-of-45) for Western Colorado. The teams were evenly matched in several major categories for the contest, including rebounds where the Mountaineers edged out the Skyhawks 32-30. FLC had its most efficient outing of the season from the charity stripe, shooting at a 78.3 percent clip (18-of-23), including several clutch makes in the waning minutes.

Redshirt senior Sydney Candelaria was the team's hot hand yet again, putting up 24 points (12-of-13 FT) to go along with seven rebounds and three assists. Following the senior guard was redshirt sophomore Kelsey Sorenson with eight points and four boards. Freshman Samantha Wattawa provided consistent energy, playing in 24 minutes with seven points and four rebounds.

WCU built a 9-4 lead through the opening four minutes of the game, but redshirt junior Alyssa Adams poured in a three to cut the lead to one. Candelaria totaled four points in the ensuing minutes to see the score knotted at 11-11 with 3:33 to go. Back-to-back jumpers from Candelaria and Wattawa saw the Skyhawks ahead 16-13, but the visiting squad chipped away and converted on a last second layup to carry a 17-16 lead into the second half.

Tied scores and flip-flopping leads highlighted the beginning of the second quarter as Adams hit her only two free throws of the game to give FLC a 22-21 edge. WCU countered with a free throw, followed by a three pointer to see a 25-22 lead with 5:35 to go. The Skyhawks echoed the three, this time off the hand of redshirt freshman Claudia Vidal to tie the score yet again. The final minutes of the quarter featured three tied scores, including the field goal from beyond the arc for the Mountaineers to send us into the half with a 31-31 score.

Both teams were draining buckets to start the third quarter as a pair of free throws from Candelaria saw FLC ahead 37-37. Wattawa extended the lead further with a driving layup, bringing it to 39-36 with 7:32 on the clock. The lead remained in the hands of FLC through much of the quarter, but a late burst by WCU had it tied yet again, this time at 44-44 with :17 to go. Candelaria remained poised as time wound down, dropping in a pair of free throws to see FLC up 46-44 heading into the fourth.

Tides were turned in the final quarter as neither side found offensive rhythm early. Candelaria continued to pester the opposition, putting up four points to keep the Skyhawks ahead with six minutes to play. The Mountaineers countered with a three, tying the game at 52-52 with 4:17 to go. FLC's offensive found itself in a rut late in the quarter, relying on free throws to keep hopes alive. WCU was doing much of the same, but the Mountaineers found the upper hand with the final two frees of the night to pull away for a 59-56 win.

"It feels great being home after just one home game in November. We get to be on our home court, shoot on our own rims, and experience the crowd in Whalen," said Harris. "The support that we are receiving is so great, and our players really deserve it. We are going to get back up and play hard for a win on Saturday."

Fort Lewis (1-8, 0-3 RMAC) will remain home for a Saturday tilt versus Colorado Christian University (3-5, 0-2 RMAC). Game time is set for 5:00 p.m. inside of Whalen Gymnasium. The Skyhawks are 22-9 all-time versus the Cougars, including a nail-biting 51-50 win in the most recent meeting on January 8, 2021. 
 
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