Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

Lanae Billy
JoJo Lutz, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications
Sophomore Lanae Billy ranks 8th in NCAA DII with 3.5 steals per game

Women's basketball hits the road to face Hardrockers and Yellow Jackets

1/4/2024 10:00:00 AM

By: Angela Roberts, Assistant AD-Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College women's basketball team is back on the hardwood this week, carrying a three-game winning streak into a road series against South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State.

Last Time Out
The Skyhawks played one final Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contest before the holiday break, a home matchup against Westminster University. Despite trailing the Griffins at the half, the Skyhawks emerged victorious thanks to a third-quarter surge, earning a 58-52 win in Whalen.

Fort Lewis shot 35.1 percent (20-of-57) from the field compared to a 32.2 percent (19-of-59) mark for Westminster. The Griffins knocked down five three-pointers versus seven for the Skyhawks. Westminster outrebounded Fort Lewis by a 47-34 margin but committed nine more turnovers than the home team.

Sophomore Kate Gallery led the team with a career-high 19 points to go along with eight rebounds. Senior Kelsey Sorenson followed with 12 points and six rebounds. Junior Sadie Misner led the team with six steals and junior Avery Evans was the team leader with five assists.

Scouting South Dakota Mines
The Hardrockers are 2-10 overall and 2-4 in conference play with league wins over New Mexico Highlands (59-56) and MSU Denver (63-62). Through 12 games, South Dakota Mines is being outscored by a 17 point average. The team shoots 36 percent from the field and 28.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Leading the group in scoring is Piper Bauer at 15.3 points per game, followed by Savea Mansfield (9.6) and Sydnee Durtsche (9.0). Durtsche has only played in four games this season with her last appearance coming in mid-November. Mansfield is the team's leading rebounder at 4.3 per game, followed by Morning Grace Spotted Bear at 4.2 per game. Emily Thomas leads the way with 31 total assists.

Fort Lewis leads the all-time series history with a 5-4 record. The Skyhawks are 2-3 when facing the Hardrockers on the road. The teams split the series last season, first with a Fort Lewis home win (77-67) followed by a road loss (93-73) in February. In the win at home, Billy led the team with 24 points, followed by Evans (15) and Sorenson (13).

Scouting Black Hills State
The Yellow Jackets are 6-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play. The team is coming off a 63-46 road win over New Mexico Highlands to close out the calendar year. Black Hills State also holds wins over Regis (64-54) and MSU Denver (58-38). Through nine games, the Yellow Jackets are outscoring their opponents by an average of 5.4 points. The team shoots 38.9 percent from the field and 28.9 percent from three.

Individually, Ellie Moore leads the team with a 9.8 points per game average. Three players follow with at least eight points per game, including Morgan Hammerbeck (8.2), Kalla Bertram (8.1), and Gracie Haneborg (8.0). Hammerbeck leads the way with 5.1 rebounds per game, followed by Bertram at 4.8.

Fort Lewis is 1-12 in the all-time series with a 1-7 record on the road. The Skyhawks fell in both meetings last season.

Around the RMAC
Mines leads the conference ranks with an 11-1 overall record and a 6-0 mark in league play, followed by Adams State (10-3, 5-0). Fort Lewis ranks third with a 4-1 mark, followed by Regis at 5-2 in conference action. In the statistical standings, Fort Lewis ranks eighth in points per game (64.5), seventh in 3-point FGs made (6.5), seventh in free throw percentage (73.9), second in scoring defense (57.3), second in turnover margin (6.27), first in steals (14.18), and first in attendance (780).

Inside the Numbers
Fort Lewis is led by senior Kelsey Sorenson who is averaging 13.7 points per game, followed by sophomore Lanae Billy who is putting up 13.0 per game. From there, five players average over five points per game. Junior Samantha Wattawa leads the team with 6.1 rebounds per game. Billy leads the team and the conference with a 3.5 steals per game average, and junior Sadie Misner is close behind with 2.5 per game (6th in RMAC). Billy's mark ranks eighth in all of NCAA Division II.

Up Next
The team's road stretch carries into next week's schedule with games against UCCS and Regis University. First, Fort Lewis will face UCCS with a Friday tipoff at 5:00 p.m., followed by a Saturday showdown versus Regis at 3:00 p.m.
Print Friendly Version