Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

Ember Cervantes
JoJo Lutz, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications

Women's basketball prepares for a Friday/Monday RMAC slate

2/9/2023 12:00:00 PM

By: Angela Roberts, Assistant AD - Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College women's basketball team has another unique conference slate on deck, starting with a Friday matchup with Western Colorado University and ending with a home contest versus Black Hills State University on Monday.

Last Time Out
The Skyhawks were 1-1 in their last two outings, including a huge 72-53 home win over CSU Pueblo last Friday. Fort Lewis shot a season-high 55.3 percent (21-of-38) from the field to top the previous season's high, a 50.9 percent mark versus South Dakota Mines on December 30. It was the most efficient shooting clip since December 31, 2018 when the team went for a 59.1 percent mark against Northern New Mexico College at home.

Individually, freshman Lanae Billy led all players with 23 points while going 9-of-9 from the charity stripe. The effort was Billy's ninth 20-plus point outing of the season and puts her season points per game average at 17.4—second in the conference. Junior Kelsey Sorenson followed with 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Senior Alyssa Adams rounded out the double-figure scoring with 10 points while graduate student Kaitlyn Bell chipped in an eight-point, five-rebound night.

On Tuesday, the annual Pink Night with donations going toward the Mercy Regional Breast Care Center, Fort Lewis dropped a hard-fought 76-71 game to Adams State University. The Skyhawks led for 30 minutes of play thanks to a final field goal percentage of 53.1 (26-of-49) compared to a 36.9 percent (24-of-65) clip for the Grizzlies. The biggest difference came via free throws where Adams State connected on 24 versus 12 for Fort Lewis. The Grizzlies forced 24 turnovers and turned in 22 points on the miscues.

Leading all players in scoring was Sorenson who erupted for 31 points (13-of-15 FG) to establish a career-high in the blue and gold. Billy followed with 10 points to go along with five rebounds. Sophomore Sadie Misner played in a season-high 24 minutes and picked up three rebounds and a team-high five assists.

Scouting Western Colorado University
Western Colorado is 6-15 overall and 5-11 in conference play after going 1-1 last week. The Mountaineers earned a 62-54 win over Chadron State College, followed by a 68-58 loss to Colorado Christian University to close out the road trip. The team is 3-6 on its home court this season. Western Colorado ranks last in the league in scoring offense (55 PPG) while surrendering 60.6 PPG. Despite the scoring woes, the team ranks fifth in combined team rebounds at 38.2 per game.

Emmery Wagstaff leads the team by scoring 16.6 points per game on 3.5 three-pointers per game (third in RMAC). Rachel Cockman follows at 13.0 points per game on a 51.4 field goal percentage. Wagstaff and Cockman combine for 12.5 rebounds per game. The Mountaineers scored a season-high 75 points in a loss to Mines on January 21—the lone 70+ point game this season.

When the teams faced in December, Sorenson led all players with 22 points while Billy went for 20 points. Cockman contributed 21 points, followed by Wagstaff's 16-point performance. Fort Lewis is 19-7 all-time against Western Colorado with a 10-3 record in Gunnison.

Scouting Black Hills State University
BHSU is 16-5 overall and 11-4 in the conference after losing to Mines (72-58) and MSU Denver (62-52) last week. The Yellow Jackets will see the Skyhawks on the tail end of a weekend road trip to UCCS (Friday) and Regis University (Saturday). The team is 10-3 this season at home and ranks second in the conference in home attendance at 948 fans per game—behind Fort Lewis' 970 fans per game.

The Yellow Jackets lead the conference in points allowed per game at 56.7 for a margin of 5.1. They are also leading the way in three-point field goal percentage (35.1) with 7.2 made threes per game. The duo of Danica Kocer and Niki Van Wyk lead the team in scoring at 13.7 and 11.4 points per game, respectively. BHSU has seven players averaging three or more rebounds per game for a team average of 36.2 rebounds per game.

Around the RMAC
Colorado School of Mines continues to sit in first place in the conference standings at 15-2, followed by Regis (13-3). Black Hills State and Adams State round out the top four. Fort Lewis sits in 12th place after a split last week.

In the national landscape, the RMAC is represented by Mines on the most recent D2SIDA top-25 poll, ranking 14th overall—up four spots from the week prior. In the WBCA top-25 poll (voted on by coaches), Mines sits in 12th. The Orediggers are the top-ranked RMAC team in the South Central Regional poll, followed by Regis (8th), Black Hills State (9th), 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 eight occasions, including a season-high 29-point outing three weeks ago versus Chadron State. Junior Kelsey Sorenson follows by averaging 13.9 points per game (8th in RMAC) to go along with 7.8 rebounds per game (5th in RMAC). Sorenson earned a career-high with 31 points on Tuesday after going 13-of-15 from the field.

Sophomore Avery Evan ranks third on the team by averaging 8.2 points per game, followed by graduate student Kaitlyn Bell at 5.3 points per game. Bell's 5.5 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 4-0 when holding their opponents to fewer than 60 points.

Up Next
Fort Lewis will embark on its final regular-season road trip next week, heading north to face Black Hills State University on Friday and closing out the weekend on Saturday at South Dakota Mines.

Fort Lewis is just 1-10 all-time against the Yellow Jackets, including a 66-38 loss in the most recent meeting on December 4, 2021. Black Hills State is 16-5 overall this season and ranks third in the conference with an 11-4 record.

The Skyhawks own a 5-3 all-time record over the Hardrockers which includes a 77-67 win this past December. South Dakota Mines is 3-19 this season and 3-13 in the RMAC to rank last.
 
Print Friendly Version