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Katie Lamb
Chris Neal, Shooter Imaging

Women's basketball plays home and away starting Tuesday

12/9/2024 11:04:00 AM

By: Angela Roberts, Associate AD-Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College women's basketball team will see a unique, two-game week that begins on Tuesday versus New Mexico Highlands inside Whalen Gymnasium. Then, the Skyhawks head to Adams State University for their first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference road contest on Thursday.

Last Time Out
Fort Lewis played to a home split last week with a win over MSU Denver (74-66) and loss to Regis University (76-65). In the win over the Roadrunners, the Skyhawks shot 47.2 percent (25-of-53) from the field while knocking down eight three-pointers. The Roadrunners shot 39.6 percent (21-of-53) from the field and were limited to just two buckets from beyond the arc. Both teams spent much of the contest at the foul line, led by MSU Denver's 35 free throw chances. A key to success for the Skyhawks came from the bench where they earned 41 bench points. Fort Lewis ended the game with 15 total turnovers after carrying 11 into the halftime break.

Freshman Katie Lamb led the team with 22 points, most for a Fort Lewis player this season, after going 6-of-9 from the field and 5-of-8 from three. She was backed up by junior Deniece Ryan who enjoyed a 14-point outing while sophomore Natalie Guanella came off the bench for 12 points (6-of-7 FG). Senior Darla Hernandez and Lamb tied for the team lead with six rebounds. Guanella led the way with four assists and senior Livia Knapp had a team-high three steals.

The loss to Regis came after the Rangers outscored the Skyhawks 25-13 in the third quarter to build on a three-point advantage at halftime. Fort Lewis took care of the ball well throughout the contest and recorded a season-low in turnovers with 11. Fort Lewis shot over 40 percent for the fifth time this season, notching a 41.7 percent (25-of-60) mark for the game. Regis shot 43.5 percent (30-of-69) from the field and found its separation from three where they drained 13 shots compared to just five for Fort Lewis. The Rangers had a 40-37 advantage in rebounds.

Junior Deniece Ryan led the team with 15 points, followed by senior Livia Knapp with 13. Senior Darla Hernandez led all players with 11 rebounds. Regis had four players in double-figures, including Erin Fry with 18 points and 12 assists for a double-double.

Scouting New Mexico Highlands
The Cowgirls are 4-4 this season with a 1-1 record in conference play. Last week, NMHU fell to Regis University (84-77) before claiming a 74-73 overtime win versus Colorado School of Mines. The Cowgirls are 0-1 on the road.

As a team, the Cowgirls are shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 33 percent from three, and 67.4 percent from the stripe. They narrowly outrebound their opponents with 36.5 per game (+0.8). NMHU commits 16 turnovers per game and averages 9.1 steals.

Two players average double-figures, led by Juliana Aragon at 15.6 points per game while shooting 45.2 percent. Kapiolani Anitielu follows with 13.6 points per game, and three additional players put up seven or more points per game. Caitlin Turnover is the leading rebounder with 5.9 per game and had a season-high 13 rebounds against UT Permian Basin.

Fort Lewis is 26-3 all-time against NMHU with a 14-1 record at home. The Skyhawks earned a win in last season's meeting by a 64-57 final at home.

Scouting Adams State University
The Grizzlies are 6-5 overall and 1-1 in conference play following a win over Mines (75-63) and a loss to MSU Denver (70-64) last week. Adams State is 2-1 at home this season.

As a team, the Grizzlies are shooting 35 percent from the field, 26.4 percent from three, and 67 percent from the free throw line. They are being outrebounded by a wide margin with 30.7 rebounds per game (-13.6). Turnovers are an area where Adams State has found breathing room, forcing 26 per game by their opponents and converting for 22 points per game. They also average 15.2 steals per game to lead the conference.

Kiiyani Anitielu leads the team by averaging 15 points per game, followed by Taujhuan Hill at 10.3 points per game. Hill is the leading rebounder with 8.1 per game, and next closest player averages 3.4. Elaina Watson comes away with 3.3 steals per game, followed by three players with two or more per game.

The series history favors Fort Lewis at 20-11, but the last six games have gone to Adams State. The teams faced twice last season with final scores of 87-61 and 76-56 going to the Grizzlies.

Solid Starters
The Skyhawks have found consistency in three players who have started in each of the team's eight games this season. Seniors Darla Hernandez and Livia Knapp and sophomore Trista Hoobler have been the backbone of Fort Lewis throughout the nonconference and early league portion of the schedule.

Hernandez has pulled down double-digit rebounds in four of her last five games, currently ranking sixth in the conference with 8.1 per game. She leads the team in that category, as well as scoring where she averages 10 PPG. Knapp leads the team in minutes per game (31.4) and assists per game (2.3). She is shooting a blistering 42 percent from three and has reached double-digit points three times this season. Hoobler enjoyed a breakout game two weeks ago where she totaled 18 points and is the team's second-best free throw shooter at 81.2 percent.

New Conference Schedule
The league has implemented a new conference scheduling format for the 2024-25 season, moving to a Thursday and Saturday setup after previously playing a Friday/Saturday schedule. The break between contests provides a cushion for travel and allows for proper recovery among other benefits. Additionally, the league slate has been reduced to 20 games from 22 last season, with each team playing six league members twice and the other eight only once.

Up Next
Fort Lewis will play once more in the 2024 calendar year when they travel to Espanola, New Mexico for a rematch with Northern New Mexico College on Friday, December 20. The teams tip off at 4:00 p.m. The Skyhawks earned a 67-57 win over the Eagles on November 23 in Durango.
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