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Fort Lewis College Athletics

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WBB Team Huddle
JoJo Lutz, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications
Women's basketball will play its final home games of the season on Friday and Saturday

Women's basketball returns home to close out regular-season, celebrates seniors

2/23/2023 12:00:00 PM

By: Angela Roberts, Assistant AD - Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College women's basketball team is back home for the final time this season, welcoming MSU Denver and No. 16/17 Colorado School of Mines for a Friday/Saturday series.

Last Time Out
The Skyhawks fell twice on the road last week to Black Hills State University (70-48) and South Dakota Mines (93-73). In the loss the BHSU, the Skyhawks shot 29.2 percent (14-of-48) from the field, led by sophomore Avery Evans at 14 points on the night. Fort Lewis struggled from three, going just 3-of-25 compared to nine makes for BHSU. Freshman Kate Gallery was the Skyhawks' second-leading scorer at seven points, followed by sophomore Sadie Misner's six-point night.

The following night, the Skyhawks shot 42.9 percent (24-of-56) from the field compared to a 54.9 percent (28-of-51) clip for the Hardrockers. Fort Lewis had eight three-pointers on the night versus 14 for the opposition. The Skyhawks were held to just 17 rebounds on the night—a season-low. South Dakota Mines committed 15 turnovers on the evening compared to nine for Fort Lewis.

Evans led the team with 15 points to match a season-high which she established on December 30 versus South Dakota Mines. Senior Alyssa Adams followed with 13 points and a team-high five rebounds. Junior Ember Cervantes was the final Skyhawk to reach double figures with 11 points.

Scouting MSU Denver
The Roadrunners are 14-12 on the year and 12-8 in RMAC play to sit in sixth place overall heading into the final weekend of the regular season. The team ranks second in the conference in opponent three-point field goal percentage (.293) and free throw percentage (.723). Kendra Parra paces the team and the league at 18.8 points per game. Leilah Vigil followed at 15 points per game on a 46.2 field goal percentage and leads the team with eight rebounds per game.

When the teams met in late January, the game went to MSU Denver in a 71-66 final. The Skyhawks shot 43.4 percent (23-of-53) from the field and 26.1 percent (6-of-23) from deep for the night. The Roadrunners shot 38.9 percent (21-of-54) from the field and 44 percent (11-of-25) from beyond the arc. Fort Lewis had 11 steals and 12 points off turnovers for the game.

Freshman Lanae Billy had 27 points to lead the team in her eighth 20-plus point game of the season. Junior Kelsey Sorenson followed with a season-high 23 points and 14 rebounds—her fifth double-double of the season and third in as many games.

Scouting #16/17 Colorado School of Mines
The Orediggers are 21-44 this season and 17-3 in conference play, sitting in a tie with Regis for first place with two games remaining. Mines leads the conference in scoring margin at 14.8 points while ranking second in three pointers made per game (7.8). They lead all teams with 14.9 offensive rebounds per game and sit second in combined team rebounds (39.4).

When the teams met in January, the Orediggers used huge first and fourth quarter surges to earn a 74-45 win. The Skyhawks shot 34.8 percent (15-of-46) from the field compared to a 41.3 percent (26-of-63) mark for the Orediggers. Mines connected on nine three-pointers versus just three for Fort Lewis. Rebounds were nearly even with Fort Lewis edging out Mines by a 39-38 margin. The Skyhawks committed a season-high 32 turnovers which led to 31 points for the opposition.

Sorenson led the team with her fourth double-double of the season at 14 points and 10 rebounds. Billy followed with eight points, three rebounds, and two assists. Sophomore Sadie Misner was the Skyhawks' third-leading scorer at five points to go along with four rebounds.

Around the RMAC
Mines and Regis are in a race to the finish with matching 17-3 record in conference play. Regis won the head-to-head matchup on January 13 by a 76-64 final. With the RMAC Tournament looming on the horizon, there is a cluster toward the middle of the standing. CSU Pueblo holds the No. 8 spot in the current standings with UCCS hot on their heels in ninth. The final weekend of play will determine the eight-team field for the postseason tournament.

In the national landscape, the RMAC is represented by Mines on the most recent D2SIDA top-25 poll, ranking 16th overall. In the WBCA top-25 poll (voted on by coaches), Mines sits in 17th. The Orediggers are the top-ranked RMAC team in the South Central Regional poll, followed by Regis (6th), Adams State (8th), and Black Hills State (9th).

Inside the Numbers
Freshman Lanae Billy continues to pace the team by averaging 16 points per game—fifth in the RMAC. Billy has surpassed 20 points on nine occasions, including a season-high 29-point outing last month versus Chadron State. Junior Kelsey Sorenson follows by averaging 13 points per game (8th in RMAC) to go along with 7.1 rebounds per game (10th in RMAC). Sorenson earned a career-high with 31 points two weeks ago after going 13-of-15 from the field.

Sophomore Avery Evan ranks third on the team by averaging 8.5 points per game, followed by graduate student Kaitlyn Bell at 5.6 points per game. Bell's 5.3 rebounds per game are second on the roster.

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 5-0 when holding their opponents to fewer than 60 points.

Senior Spotlight
Prior to tipoff on Saturday, the Skyhawks will honor its 2022-23 senior class. Included in the festivities are Alyssa Adams, Kaitlyn Bell, Brooke McGee, Tayla Nez, and student assistant coach Beck Hix.
 
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