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Kate Gallery
JoJo Lutz, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications
Freshman Kate Gallery has played in 12 games this season for the Skyhawks

Skyhawks head north for RMAC weekend against Orediggers and Roadrunners

1/26/2023 12:00:00 PM

By: Angela Roberts, Assistant AD - Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – Looking to add to its win from Saturday at home, the Fort Lewis College women's basketball team will travel north to face #14/22 Colorado School of Mines and MSU Denver for a weekend Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference slate.

Looking Back
Fort Lewis split the weekend, first with a 61-48 loss to Colorado Mesa University in the second meeting of the season. The Skyhawks were held to a .264 field goal percentage, their second-lowest mark of the season. The Mavericks put up a .453 field goal percentage and the teams combined for just four three-pointers. Colorado Mesa outrebounded Fort Lewis by a 42-30 margin, but the teams were equal with nine offensive boards apiece. Fort Lewis forced 16 turnovers and racked up 10 steals.

Junior Kelsey Sorenson led the team with 12 points and six rebounds (five offensive). Sophomore Avery Evans followed with 11 points to go along with five rebounds. Freshman Lanae Billy matched Sorenson with three steals. Colorado Mesa's Olivia Reed led all players with 16 points while Monica Brooks came away with nine rebounds.

The following night, the Skyhawks earned a 57-53 win over Westminster College to secure the season sweep of the Griffins. The Skyhawks rebounded from a poor shooting performance on Friday to earn a 41.2 field goal percentage (21-of-51). Westminster shot 30.9 percent (21-of-68) from the field and just 18.2 percent (4-of-22) from deep. Fort Lewis earned nine three-pointers—one shy of a season-high. The Griffins won the rebound battle by pulling down 47 (19 offensive) to 34 for the Skyhawks.

Billy led the team with 19 points (5-of-9 3pt) to go along with six rebounds. Sorenson had her third double-double of the season after contributing 13 points and 10 rebounds. Graduate student Kaitlyn Bell followed with 10 points and three boards. Sophomore Samantha Wattawa turned in her best game of the season with six points and four key rebounds. Westminster's Ashley Greenwood led all players with 21 points.

Scouting #14/22 Colorado School of Mines
The Orediggers have turned in another impressive season and head into Friday's game with a 15-3 overall record. Mines is 11-2 in RMAC play to lead the pack heading into the back half of the season. The team bounced back last weekend with wins over MSU Denver (63-62) and Western Colorado (94-75) after dropping a pair of league contests the week prior.

Mines ranks second in the conference in points per game (75.2) and points per game allowed (55.9) for a league-leading margin of 14.9 points. The Orediggers are consistent offensively but truly shine on the defensive side of the ball. They rank second in the conference in combined team rebounds (41.9) while leading all teams in offensive boards (15.7). Additionally, Mines ranks first in turnover margin (8.67) and assist/turnover ratio (1.29) while sitting second in steals per game (12.83).

Individually, the team is led by a quartet of players that are averaging double-digit points per game. Ashley Steffeck and Megan Van de Graaf lead the way at 12.7 and 12.3 points per game, respectively. Sammy Van Sickle leads the team with 7.4 rebounds per game to go along with 1.6 blocks per game and 3.2 steals per game. Steffeck is dishing out 4.1 assists per game to rank fourth in the conference.

Fort Lewis leads the all-time series by a 12-9 margin but has dropped four straight heading into Friday's meeting. The teams faced twice last season with the Skyhawks falling by an 87-54 final at home (Dec. 18) and an 84-56 final on the road (Feb. 11).

Scouting MSU Denver
The Roadrunners are sitting at 8-10 overall and 6-6 in league play after a split last weekend. Despite the losing record, MSU Denver has lost five games by five points or fewer, including a narrow 63-62 loss to Mines last weekend. The team is 4-2 at home and 4-4 on the road this season.

MSU Denver is averaging 64 points per game compared to a 64.8 points per game from the opposition. The team puts up 14.3 free throws per game and six three-pointers per game to edge out their foes. The Roadrunners reached a season-high 93 points early in the season in an overtime battle versus Northwest Nazarene.

Kendra Parra is leading the conference with 18.1 points per game on a .407 field goal percentage in her sophomore season. Parra is the leading rebounder, too, pulling down 6.2 per game to rank 16th in the conference. Jaiden Galloway leads the way in assists with 4.3 per game to go along with 1.8 steals per game.

Fort Lewis is 12-6 all-time against MSU Denver dating back to a series-opening win in 2007. Since then, the Skyhawks are 7-0 at home against the Roadrunners and 4-5 on the road. Fort Lewis fell on the road in the lone meeting last season, dropping the conference game by a 75-69 final on Jan. 7.

Around the RMAC
Colorado School of Mines continues to sit in first place in the conference standings at 11-2, followed by Regis (10-2) who has won nine straight. Black Hills State and Adams State round out the top four. MSU Denver ranks seventh and Fort Lewis sits in 11th after a weekend split.

In the national landscape, the RMAC is represented by Mines on the most recent D2SIDA top-25 poll, ranking 22nd overall—up two spots from the week prior. In the WBCA top-25 poll (voted on by coaches), Mines sits in 14th. The Orediggers are the top-ranked RMAC team in the South Central Regional poll, followed by Regis (7th), Black Hills State (8th), and Adams State (10th).

Inside the Numbers
Freshman Lanae Billy continues to pace the team by averaging 17.1 points per game—third in the RMAC. Billy has surpassed 20 points on seven occasions, including a season-high 29-point outing two weeks ago versus Chadron State. Junior Kelsey Sorenson follows by averaging 12.4 points per game (16th in RMAC) to go along with 7.4 rebounds per game (7th in RMAC). Sorenson earned her third double-double of the season on Saturday against Westminster (13 points, 10 rebounds).

Sophomore Avery Evan ranks third on the team by averaging 8.3 points per game, followed by graduate student Kaitlyn Bell at 5.8 points per game. Bell's 5.9 rebounds per game are second on the roster and 20th in the conference.
 
Looking at the team's wins this season, each victory has come when the group scores 57 points per game or more. The Skyhawks are 3-0 when holding their opponents to fewer than 60 points.

Alumni Reception
On Saturday, alumni and Skyhawks fans are invited to attend a pre-game social gathering at Tivoli Brewing company on the campus of MSU Denver prior to Saturday's tip-off. Doors to the event will open at 2:30 p.m.

Planning to attend? RSVP HERE or contact Director of Alumni Engagement, Ryan Lazo, with any questions at rtlazo@fortlewis.edu

Up Next
Fort Lewis will be back at home to kick off February, starting with a 5:30 p.m. Friday tip-off against CSU Pueblo inside of Whalen Gymnasium. Friday will be faculty and staff appreciation night, and all faculty and staff will earn free admission to both games. On Saturday, the Skyhawks will take on Adams State University for a 5:00 p.m. tip-off.
 
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