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WBB vs. NNMC
JoJo Lutz, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications

Women's basketball takes win-streak on the road for Holiday Inn Airport Thanksgiving Classic

11/23/2022 10:00:00 AM

By: Angela Roberts, Assistant AD - Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – The Skyhawks are hitting the road for the Holiday Inn Airport Thanksgiving Classic this week in hopes of extending their three-game win streak against Wayne State College and SAGU American Indian College.

Looking Back
Friday featured an 80-70 win over Northern New Mexico College on the annual Nike N7 night, followed by a quick turnaround for a 73-72 Saturday afternoon win over Embry-Riddle (Ariz.).

Friday's contest saw over 2,000 fans pack the stands for the late-night showdown. Honoring Native American Heritage month, the Skyhawks dressed in their turquoise N7 jerseys and welcomed local tribal leaders for a pre-game blessing and warrior song to get the evening underway.

In addition to the festivities put on by local tribal nations, three women's basketball players were recognized for their tribal affiliations prior to tip-off. Receiving special nods were Ember Cervantes (Mescalero Apache), Tayla Nez (Diné Navajo), and Lanae Billy (Diné Navajo).
 
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The good times pre-game rolled right into the competition on the floor where the Skyhawks shot a season-high 45.6 percent (26-of-57) from the field. The team had a similar mark of 45.5 percent (10-of-22) from three to mark a season-best. Fort Lewis also set season marks in rebounds (39), assists (13), and free throws made (18).

Hours later, the Skyhawks were back on the hardwood for a matchup in Alamosa. Kelsey Sorenson had a season-high 18 points, including the go-ahead free throw with one second remaining to lock up the narrow win. Fort Lewis shot 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the field versus a 36.5 percent (23-of-63) mark for Embry-Riddle. The Skyhawks sunk five three-pointers compared to nine for the Eagles. Fort Lewis out-rebounded Embry-Riddle at a 45-31 clip—the team's best rebounding performance of the season.
 

Scouting Wayne State College
The Wildcats, an NCAA Division II program out of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, own a 2-0 record after a week of play. Wayne State has wins over Newman (99-90) and Chadron State (84-71). The team was 9-15 last season with a 7-6 home record and a 2-9 mark on the road. Their most recent winning season came in 2019-2020 when they ended the season at 16-13, 11-11 NSIC.

Through two games, the Wildcats are averaging 91.5 points per game (3rd in NCAA Division II) on a 41.3 percentage from the field. The team allowed 80.5 points per game for an 11.0 scoring margin. Lauren Zacharias is leading the team at 19.5 points per game. Logan Hughes and Kassidy Pingel round out double-digit scorers by averaging 12.5 points per game each.

Wayne State will take on Augustana for a conference matchup on Tuesday before heading to Grand Junction for the weekend's tournament. The Skyhawks have never faced the Wildcats.

Scouting SAGU American Indian College
The Warriors are 1-6 this season with the lone win coming in an 86-83 final over Life Pacific in early November. Prior to taking on Fort Lewis, SAGU will tip off against Western New Mexico and Colorado Mesa.
SAGU is averaging 60.9 points per game on 33.4 percent from the field. The team shoots 29.9 percent from three and 65.6 percent from the charity stripe.

Christin Bahe is leading the way at 13.3 points per game in her sophomore season. Mackenzie Barker and Yvette Ruiz follow at 10.4 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. Barker serves as the leading rebounder at 8.6 per game, followed by Mua'Lyia Green with 6.0 per outing. Fort Lewis and SAGU have never played each other in a regular-season contest.

Newcomers Making a Difference
Looking at the cumulative season statistics, a common theme will emerge. The Skyhawks are seeing impactful contributions from players in their first season with the squad. Few freshmen in the league have been more impressive than Lanae Billy thus far. The Shiprock, New Mexico native is leading the team at 16.3 points per game, an average that ranks sixth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. In addition to her production, she is efficient at 44.7 percent from the field and 46.4 percent from three (13-of-28).

From there, the team has newcomers ranking three through six in points per game. Kaitlyn Bell sits at 8.3 points per game, followed by Avery Evans at 7.5 per game. Bell is second on the team with 7.8 rebounds per game. Ruby Sweeney-Spitzeck lead the team with 1.7 steals per game to rank top-20 in the conference.  

Bell Earns Weekly RMAC Award
Graduate student Kaitlyn Bell was named Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week to cap off the two-win weekend, announced by the league on Monday.

Bell, a first-year player for the Skyhawks, had a career weekend that guided the team to its best start since the 2019-2020 season. First, she had a six-point, six-rebound game against Northern New Mexico College. She followed that up with a 15 rebounds game on Saturday to guide Fort Lewis to a 73-72 win over Embry-Riddle.

Her 15 rebounds (10 defensive, five offensive) were the most rebounds since a 17-board outing from Sorenson last February. Fort Lewis out-rebounded Embry-Riddle at a 45-31 clip—the team's best rebounding performance of the season. The Idaho native ranks 11th in the league with a 7.8 rebounds per game mark.
 
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Harris Named WHoopDirt.com Coach of the Week
Second-year head coach Taylor Harris has been named the Week 2 WHoopDirt.com Coach of the Week following an undefeated home and away week. Harris has guided his squad to a 3-1 overall record which surpasses the team's win total from the 2021-22 season. In addition to the success on the court, he was a vital piece of the puzzle in honoring Native American Heritage Month at the Nike N7 games last Friday.

Up Next
The team will head right into RMAC play following the holiday tournament, first on Thursday on the road against Adams State University for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off. Next, the Skyhawks return to Whalen Gymnasium for a Saturday contest versus Western Colorado at 5:00 p.m.

Saturday will be themed "Whalen Winter Wonderland", sponsored by A&L Coors. Fans are invited to dress in festive holiday attire and take photos with "Durango Santa" who will be in the lobby from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The Student Athlete-Advisory Committee will be in the lobby as well, collecting non-perishable food items to benefit the FLC Grub Hub. The Grub Hub is a student-led, basic needs justice organization committed to serving everyone—students, graduate students, staff, faculty, and community members—by breaking down the stigma behind food and housing security.
 
Gallery: (11-25-2022) Women's Basketball vs. NNMC - Nike N7


 
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