Fort Lewis FLC 1-4,0-0 RMAC

Westminster (UT) WC-UT 1-3,0-0 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC

1-4,0-0 RMAC

Final

Nov. 16, 2024

Westminster (UT) WC-UT

1-3,0-0 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Fort Lewis FLC	14	11	16	17	58
Westminster (UT) WC-UT	13	20	19	9	61

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 11/16/2024 5:17:00 PM | Angela Roberts, Associate AD-Communications

Women's basketball ends road trip with narrow loss to Westminster

SALT LAKE CITY – The Fort Lewis College women's basketball team used a scoring run in the fourth quarter to take a slim lead, but turnovers and fouls in the final minutes led to a 61-58 road loss versus Westminster University in nonconference play.

The Skyhawks dropped to 1-4 overall while the Griffins improved to 1-3 on the year.

Fort Lewis shot 42 percent (21-of-50) from the field to mark a season-best but struggled from beyond the arc where they converted just 16.7 percent of shots. Westminster was 39.6 percent (21-of-53) from the field and 15.8 percent from three. Westminster made 16 free throws compared to 14 for Fort Lewis. The Skyhawks outrebounded the Griffins 33-31.

Senior Darla Hernandez led the team with 18 points and 13 rebounds while going 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Junior Deniece Ryan followed with 15 points after a 7-of-10 performance from the field.

Senior Samantha Wattawa gave Fort Lewis its first lead of the contest with a jumper off an assist from senior Livia Knapp a minute into play. The Griffins chipped away with free throws and took an eventual lead after strong rebounding on the offensive and defensive side of the glass. Freshman Katie Lamb grabbed the lead back with a shot from beyond the arc, assisted by Wattawa, to make it 7-6 with under six minutes on the clock. Both teams struggled to find offensive rhythm over the next several minutes, but the Skyhawks clung onto the lead in part to a three-point play by Ryan. Westminster answered with a three to recapture the lead, but redshirt junior Sydney Bevington closed out the quarter with a go-ahead jumper for a 14-13 edge.

Westminster began the second quarter with a 10-0 scoring run that was snapped by a layup from Ryan to make it 23-16 with 6:41 to go. Fort Lewis chipped away and made it a two-possession game following a jumper from Knapp. Points were hard to come by midway through the quarter, but the final two minutes saw an offensive explosion for both teams to carry the score to 32-24 with 46 seconds to go. The teams closed out the half by going 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to make it 33-25 after 20 minutes of play.
The difference grew to 12 points early in the third quarter, and that differential remained until Hernandez drained a pair of free throws four minutes into play. Ryan and Eva Kingston combined for four points to make it 41-35, followed by a Griffins three-pointer to rebuild the lead. Hernandez continued to be the go-to option for Fort Lewis, and four more points for the senior sent the game to the fourth quarter in a 52-41 score.

Fort Lewis finally tapped into its offense in the fourth quarter where an 11-0 scoring run tied the contest at 52-all with seven minutes on the clock. The Griffins finally managed to score at the 5:19 point to reclaim the narrow lead. Hernandez responded by drawing a foul and going two-for-two from the stripe for a 54-53 lead. Another scoreless stretch was ended with a free throw, this one for Westminster, before back-to-back driving layups by Ryan gave Fort Lewis a 58-54 lead. The Griffins added two more points at the stripe and called a timeout on their ensuing possession with 26 seconds remaining. Westminster knocked down a jumper out of the break and picked up a foul on the shot for a three-point play and a 59-58 lead. The Skyhawks turned the ball over on their next possession and were forced to foul, allowing Westminster to take a 61-58 lead with two seconds remaining. Fort Lewis suffered its 24^th turnover of the game on an out-of-bounds call to end the game in a 61-58 score.

Fort Lewis (1-4) returns to Whalen Gymnasium next Saturday to face Northern New Mexico for a 3:00 PM tipoff. The Eagles are 4-3 this season with a 63-55 win over Western New Mexico University.

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