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Fort Lewis College Athletics

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Kaitlyn Bell
Angela Roberts, FLC Athletic Communications
The Skyhawks will sport their turquoise N7 jerseys on Friday

Skyhawks gear up for home and away week, welcome Nike N7 to Whalen

11/17/2022 10:00:00 AM

By: Angela Roberts, Assistant AD - Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – The wait is over. The Fort Lewis College women's basketball team will be back inside Whalen Gymnasium this Friday for the annual Nike N7 game against Northern New Mexico College. Following the home game, the team hits the road for a Saturday matchup with Embry Riddle at 3:00 p.m. in Alamosa.

Last Time Out
The Skyhawks came home from the RMAC/Lone Star Conference Challenge in Las Vegas, New Mexico with a 1-1 record. On Friday, the team had an early lead slip away in a 73-58 final against Eastern New Mexico University in the season opener. Fort Lewis shot 42.3 percent (22-of-52) from the field and 33.3 percent (6-of-18) from three compared to clips of 39.7 percent (23-of-58) and 30.4 percent (7-of-23) for ENMU. The game's difference maker came via the free throws where the Greyhounds made 20 to just eight for the Skyhawks. ENMU also held the 33-28 edge in rebounds.

Junior Kelsey Sorenson led the team with 17 points, three shy of a career-high, to go along with nine rebounds. Freshman Lanae Billy had an impressive showing in her collegiate debut, putting up 12 points courtesy of four three-pointers. From there, Fort Lewis had nine additional players score throughout the contest, including points from five newcomers.

The following afternoon, Fort Lewis buckled down to hold off a late surge by Western New Mexico University. The Mustangs outscored the Skyhawks in the third quarter, but a nail-in-the-coffin fourth quarter earned Fort Lewis its first win of the year, 66-57. Fort Lewis shot 40 percent (22-of-55) from the field compared to a 36.4 percent (16-of-44) clip for WNMU. Both teams dropped in five shots from beyond the arc and combined for 37 free throws. The Skyhawks benefited from 18 steals—most since a 20-steal outing versus Northern New Mexico in 2019.

Billy led all players with 17 points to go along with four rebounds and four steals. Sophomore Avery Evans followed with 13 points and four steals. Senior Kaitlyn Bell rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Skyhawks at 12 points, grabbing six rebounds along the way. Sorenson contributed nine points and a team-best seven rebounds in 17 minutes of play.

Nike N7
Since its creation in 2009, the Nike N7 Fund has awarded more than $7.5 million in grants to 259 Native American and Aboriginal communities and organizations, reaching more than 500,000 youths. The N7 Fund supports organizations that provide sports and physical activity programming to youth in these communities.

This year's Nike N7 Games mark the fifth time Fort Lewis College has been selected as one of only 11 institutions nationwide — Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts, Gonzaga, Florida State, Marquette, University of New Mexico, San Diego State, Stanford, Haskell Indian Nations, Mesa Community College, and Fort Lewis College — to participate in the games, which are held in November in celebration of Native American Heritage Month.

The FLC women's basketball team has three players who are tribal members, including Ember Cervantes (Mescalero Apache), Lanae Billy (Diné Navajo), and Tayla Nez (Diné 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.

Scouting Northern New Mexico College
The Eagles are 1-6 overall this season, winning their season-opener against Lincoln University on October 28. The team has broken the 60-point threshold on two occasions, including the most recent loss (71-64) to the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy. Fort Lewis is 11-0 all-time against NNMC, including a 61-44 win in last year's meeting. Last season, the Skyhawks shot 44.2 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from three in the win.

Scouting Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Embry-Riddle, an NAIA institution, is 4-2 this season with a recent 62-50 loss to Corban. The Eagles are averaging 72.5 points per game on a 36.9 field goal percentage. The team has averaged 45.2 rebounds per game with a 6.8 rebound margin. A trio of players are averaging over 12 points per game this year, led by Ella Scott at 13 points per game. Mehgan Strickler is the team's leader in rebounds at 7.0 per game, followed by Zakiirah King's 6.7 per game mark. This contest will be the first between Fort Lewis and Embry-Riddle in program history.

Around the RMAC
The league has four unbeaten teams after the opening weekend, including Adams State, Colorado School of Mines, and Westminster College at 2-0. Adams State is leading the offensive charge by averaging 99 points per game, followed by Westminster at 82 per game. Fort Lewis ranks fourth in points allowed per game at 65. The Skyhawks are third in free throw percentage at .781. Lanae Billy ranks ninth in the league in points per game at 14.5, followed by Kelsey Sorenson in 16th with 13.0 points per game. Sorenson sits ninth in rebounds at 8.0 rebounds per game.

Newcomers Coming in Hot
It was no secret that the Skyhawks were going to rely heavily on newcomers to fill in the blanks left in the offseason. What could not be predicted was how those fresh faces would fare. Simply stated: so far, so good. Lanae Billy is leading the team with 14.5 points per game, followed by Avery Evans who ranks third at 9.5 ppg. Kaitlyn Bell is fourth with 7.5 per game and ranks second in rebounds per game with 5.0 per outing. Billy and Evans each have four steals this season which leads the group.

Free Admission for Native Americans
New this year, Fort Lewis College athletics will offer free admission to all regular season home athletic events for Native Americans with a Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB) card or Tribal Identification Card. The motion is an effort to welcome more of our local communities to campus to support the blue and gold and experience college athletics, academics, and everything that the Skyhawks experience has to offer.

Up Next
Following the team's Friday/Saturday slate, Fort Lewis will make the short trek to Grand Junction for the Holiday Inn Airport Thanksgiving Classic. The Skyhawks will play Wayne State College on Friday, November 25 at 1:00 p.m., followed by a 1:00 p.m. tip-off the following day against SAGU American Indian College.

The pair of games will be the first time that Fort Lewis has seen either opponent in program history. Wayne State College currently sits at 1-0 and will play three games prior to meeting the Skyhawks. SAGU holds a 1-6 record this season and will play in four games leading up to Saturday's showdown.
 
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