South Dakota Mines SDSMT 6-20,6-14 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC 12-14,9-11 RMAC

South Dakota Mines SDSMT

6-20,6-14 RMAC

Final

Feb. 24, 2024

Fort Lewis FLC

12-14,9-11 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
South Dakota Mines SDSMT	17	24	17	15	73
Fort Lewis FLC	6	26	16	12	60

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Seniors Kelsey Sorenson (left) and Ember Cervantes (right) were honored prior to tip-off of Saturday's home finale

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 2/24/2024 8:39:00 PM | Angela Roberts, Assistant AD-Communications

Women's basketball honors seniors in home finale, falls to South Dakota Mines

DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College women's basketball team dropped its final home game of the regular season on Saturday night, falling to South Dakota Mines by a final score of 73-60.

Fort Lewis fell to 12-14 overall and 9-11 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play while South Dakota Mines improved to 6-20 on the year and 6-14 in conference play.

The Skyhawks shot 38.5 percent (20-of-52) from the field compared to a 44.4 percent (28-of-63) mark for the Hardrockers. South Dakota Mines knocked down nine three-points versus five for Fort Lewis. The visitors owned a 45-24 advantage in rebounds. Fort Lewis forced 16 turnovers on the night.

Junior Samantha Wattawa led the team with a career-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds. Senior Kelsey Sorenson followed with 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Junior Avery Evans and sophomore Kate Gallery followed with 10 points apiece. Sophomore Lanae Billy was stout defensively and came away with seven steals.

The first basket of the game came two minutes into play when South Dakota Mines dialed in a jumper. Evans followed that up with two made free throws to get Fort Lewis on the board. The Hardrockers reclaimed the lead at the 5:56 mark, but Sorenson followed with a three-pointer to make it 5-4 in favor of the Skyhawks. The score would become tied at six-all before an 11-0 scoring run by South Dakota Mines closed out the first quarter. The run featured three, three-pointers to make it 17-6.

Fort Lewis fought back in the second quarter, starting with freshman Natalie Guanella and Gallery who combined for four points. The scoring continued for the Skyhawks as points from Evans, Guanella, and Billy made it a one-point deficit. The teams traded points, and Wattawa eventually tied the score at 23-23 with a shot from deep. The Hardrockers built the lead back up to nine points with a scoring run, eventually stopped by Wattawa on a jumper. South Dakota Mines responded with five points, and a late Sorenson three had the Skyhawks trailing 41-32 at the half.

Fort Lewis cut into the lead early in the third quarter behind layups from Evans and Gallery, making it 43-36. South Dakota Mines continued to find success from deep and built the lead back to 14 points at the six-minute mark. Free throws fell for Fort Lewis, followed by a Gallery three to see the separation at eight points, and Evans eventually cut the difference to five with 1:38 to go. South Dakota Mines used free throws and a three-pointer with eight seconds on the clock to carry a 58-48 lead into the fourth quarter.

Guanella got the Skyhawks on the board in the fourth quarter with a pair of made free throws, but the Hardrockers answered with back-to-back threes to make it 66-50. That margin held throughout the majority of the quarter despite points from Wattawa and Sorenson. Fort Lewis closed out the game on a five-point scoring run but ultimately fell by a final score of 73-60.

Up Next
Fort Lewis (12-14, 9-11 RMAC) will close out the regular season on the road next week against MSU Denver and Colorado School of Mines. The Skyhawks will face the Roadrunners on Friday, March 1 at 5:00 p.m. in Denver before wrapping up the conference season against the Orediggers on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. in Golden.

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