Western N.M. WNMU 0-1,0-0 Lone Star

Fort Lewis FLC 1-0,0-0 RMAC

Western N.M. WNMU

0-1,0-0 Lone Star

Final

Nov. 08, 2024

Fort Lewis FLC

1-0,0-0 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Western N.M. WNMU	9	6	21	11	47
Fort Lewis FLC	13	17	10	13	53

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Freshman Claudia Palacio Gamez scored seven points in her Skyhawks debut on Friday

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 11/8/2024 9:42:00 PM | Angela Roberts, Associate AD-Communications

Women's basketball earns win over WNMU in season-opener

DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College women's basketball team held a sizable lead at halftime and benefited from late success in the fourth to earn a 53-47 win over Western New Mexico University in its season opener.

Fort Lewis shot 35.1 percent (20-of-57) from the field and was limited to shooting just 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from three. The Skyhawks defense held the Mustangs to just one three-pointer on the night as the team shot just 8.3 percent from deep. The Skyhawks totaled 33 rebounds, including 11 offensive boards, compared to 37 rebounds for the Mustangs. The teams combined for 36 turnovers with Western New Mexico committing 24.

Junior Darla Hernandez led the team with 12 points and five rebounds, followed by redshirt junior Sydney Bevington with 10 points. The duo of senior Livia Knapp and freshman Claudia Palacio Gamez combined for 14 points. Sophomore Trista Hoobler recorded four steals and dished out three assists.

The Skyhawks chipped away at a 5-0 deficit in the first quarter, first with a jumper by Kingston for the team's first bucket of the season. The Mustangs added two more points at the stripe to go up by five points before layups by Ryan and Gallery made it a one-point difference. Palacio Gamez extended the lead with her first points as a Skyhawk thanks to a pull-up jumper with 2:04 remaining, and the quarter ended on a 3-0 run to see a 13-9 Fort Lewis lead.

Fort Lewis opened the second half with a quick layup by Bevington off a feed from Kingston to make it 15-9, and the redshirt junior added two more at the 8:25 mark to extend the lead. The Skyhawks' defense continued to dominate and held the Mustangs scoreless until they dropped in a turnaround jumper at the six-minute mark. Hernandez countered immediately with her third layup of the game to double the lead at 22-11. The good times continued to roll for the home team as they held Western New Mexico Scoreless in the final 90 seconds to carry a demanding 30-15 lead at half.

The Mustangs opened scoring in the third quarter and trimmed the lead by 12 points before Knapp got her team on the board with a jumper. The next seven minutes saw Western New Mexico go on a double-digit scoring run to make it a one-point game at 32-31 with 2:45 remaining. Hernandez finally snapped the scoring drought with a jumper to make it 34-31. The next minute of play saw the teams trade free throws, followed by a Western New Mexico layup for a 38-34 score. The visitors made it a one-possession game with 22 seconds remaining and Hernandez was the last to score with a late layup, giving Fort Lewis a 40-36 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

The fourth quarter was ruled by defense in the first two minutes before a pair of Mustang free throws dropped in. Fort Lewis answered two minutes later with two made free throws by junior Deniece Ryan to build the lead back to four. Bevington was the next to score after a layup with under six minutes to play, and the next two minutes went scoreless. Knapp made it a three-possession game with a jumper, followed by a fastbreak layup from Palacio Gamez. The Mustangs did not go away quietly, though, and scored on their next three chances to make it a four-point game. Knapp knocked down a three and Hoobler was two-for-two from the stripe to carry a six-point lead into the final minute. Hoobler secured a late steal, and the Skyhawks closed the game out in a 53-47 score.

Fort Lewis (1-0) will continue the Conference Crossover tomorrow evening with a 6:00 p.m. tip-off against Eastern New Mexico University (1-0). The Greyhounds earned a season-opening win over New Mexico Highlands in Friday's opener by a final score of 74-63.

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