Fort Lewis FLC 3-4,0-1 RMAC

Adams St. ASC 5-2,1-0 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC

3-4,0-1 RMAC

Final

Dec. 01, 2022

Adams St. ASC

5-2,1-0 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Fort Lewis FLC	19	15	9	12	55
Adams St. ASC	20	21	22	25	88

Summary
Box Score

JoJo Lutz, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications

Avery Evans (4) had 10 points in the loss to Adams State

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 12/1/2022 7:52:00 PM | Angela Roberts, Assistant AD - Communications

Women's basketball RMAC opener goes to Grizzlies in 88-55 final

ALAMOSA, Colo. – A dominant second half propelled the Grizzlies past the Skyhawks in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference season-opener on Thursday in an 88-55 final from Plachy Hall.

Fort Lewis falls to 3-4 overall and 0-1 in the league while Adams State improves to 5-3, 1-0 RMAC. The Skyhawks shot 29.8 percent (17-of-57) from the field compared to a 47.8 percent (33-of-69) for the Grizzlies. Turnovers proved to be costly for Fort Lewis as the team committed 26—a season-high.

"We knew that Adams State was going to provide a lot of pressure, and it kind of broke open on us in the second half," said head coach Taylor Harris. "Preparing is one thing, but actually dealing with the pressure is another."

Freshman Lanae Billy led the team with 12 points, followed by a 10-point outing for sophomore Avery Evans. Junior Kelsey Sorenson led the way with seven rebounds (three offensive). Evans and senior Kaitlyn Bell were not far behind at six and five rebounds, respectively.

The Grizzlies jumped ahead with a pair of scores to open it up before a near-side three-pointer from Evans had the score at 4-3. ASU jumped ahead with six-straight points to see a 10-3 advantage with six minutes remaining in the opener. Billy pulled her team within five with her first three-pointer of the conference opener as the teams headed into the first media timeout.

The teams traded points out of the break before Fort Lewis saw its first lead behind a three from senior Alyssa Adams—the third from beyond the arc in the quarter. The Skyhawks' defense held the score steady into the final minute when free throws from sophomore Sadie Misner, followed by a go-ahead layup for the Grizzlies, ended the quarter in a 20-19 score.

After a scoreless minute to begin the second quarter, Sorenson grabbed the lead back with a layup to make it 21-20. ASU responded with its fourth three of the evening to take an eventual 27-21 lead with 6:53 on the clock. The following four minutes saw the score shift to 35-34 in favor of the home team with Fort Lewis shooting just 27.3 percent for the quarter.

Evans and Billy contributed a pair of threes, followed by two made free throws by Adams to end the half in a 41-34 score. The Skyhawks shot 31.3 percent in the half versus a 45.5 percent mark for the Grizzlies. Evans paced the team with 10 points while Sorenson came away with six rebounds.

ASU began the third quarter with a four-point burst before a layup from Sorenson made it 45-36 with seven minutes remaining. The Grizzlies extended the lead thanks to shots from the charity stripe while holding Fort Lewis scoreless as they reached the midway point. Billy ended the scoring drought with a three off the feed from Bell to make it 53-39 with 3:51 remaining. The Grizzlies closed out the quarter with a floating jumper to take a 63-43 lead.

Bell got the Skyhawks off to a positive start in the fourth, driving past a defender on back-to-back possessions to narrow the deficit. Turnovers continued to be costly for Fort Lewis, though, as a pair of mistakes lent to a 71-47 score with seven minutes to play. With the wind in their sails, the Grizzlies continued to surge ahead on an 11-2 run to take an 82-49 lead with 3:10 on the clock. Sophomore Graci Kolka and freshman Ruby Sweeney-Spitzeck contributed points down the stretch as time expired on an 88-55 final.

"A game like this will make us better in the long run. It's the first game of a long RMAC season, and the season doesn't let up," acknowledged Harris. "We need to reset mentally to get ready for our game on Saturday. It's a long process of a team coming together, and patience is a trait that we need to continue having every day."

Fort Lewis (3-4, 0-1 RMAC) will be home this Saturday for a league matchup against Western Colorado University (1-4, 0-0 RMAC). The game will begin at 5:00 p.m. inside of Whalen Gymnasium. Fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items for a food drive with all donations benefitting the FLC Grub Hub Food Pantry.

"I'm proud of the positive energy of our team," said Harris. "We stuck together for all 40 minutes and that's something I can be happy about."

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