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Skyhawks hit the road for regular season finale against Roadrunners and Orediggers

2/29/2024 10:00:00 AM

By: Angela Roberts, Assistant AD-Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College women's basketball team will wrap up the regular season this week with a road trip to take on MSU Denver and Colorado School of Mines.
 
The Skyhawks remain in contention for postseason play, currently sitting in ninth-place in the league. The top-eight teams advance to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
Last Time Out
Fort Lewis fell in a pair of home games last week, first in an 87-53 final against Black Hills State. After shooting a blistering 66.7 percent in the opening quarter, the Skyhawks settled for a 38.4 percent (18-of-47) clip for the game. Fort Lewis shot 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from deep and 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from the free throw line. The Yellow Jackets recorded a field goal percentage of 56.3 (36-of-64) to go along with a 47.6 percent (10-of-21) clip from three. Black Hills State came away with 40 rebounds compared to 20 for Fort Lewis.
 
Sophomore Lanae Billy led the team with 14 points and four steals. Junior Samantha Wattawa followed with eight points and five rebounds. Senior Kelsey Sorenson matched Wattawa with eight points while freshman Trista Hoobler contributed six. The Yellow Jackets were paced by Ellie Moore's 18 points.
 
The following night, the Skyhawks dropped a 73-60 contest the South Dakota Mines. 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.
 
Scouting MSU Denver
The Roadrunners are 8-17 overall and 7-13 in conference play following a split against Chadron State (W, 78-60) and loss to Colorado Christian (L, 66-52) last week. As a team, MSU Denver is averaging 57.2 points per game while shooting 37.3 percent from the field. They average 35.7 rebounds per game and seven steals.
 
Individually, Mikylah Espinosa leads the team by averaging 15.3 points per game. Brianna Sealy and Tosjanae Bonds followed at 8.3 and 7.7 points per game, respectively. Three players average over four rebounds per game, led by Sealy at 6.5. Espinosa leads all players with 46 steals to go along with 50 assists.
 
When the teams met in early February, the Roadrunners earned a 61-55 win inside of Whalen Gymnasium. Wattawa turned in a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds while Sorenson led the team with 13 points.
 
Scouting Colorado School of Mines
The Orediggers are 20-6 overall and 15-5 in conference play following a split last week. Mines started the weekend with a 71-68 loss to Colorado Christian before snagging an 83-72 win over Chadron State. Mines has fallen out of the national polls after losing four of its last six games. As a team, Mines is averaging 71.8 points per game while shooting 39.7 percent from the field. They average 35.4 rebounds per game and 9.9 steals per game.
 
Individually, Ashley Steffeck leads the team by averaging 19.9 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game. She has 90 assists and 85 steals to her credit. Jenna Siebert rounds out double-digit scorers with 10.8 points per game. Shelby Nichols is the second leading rebounder with 5.1 per game.
 
Ranked No. 9 at the time, Mines earned an 81-62 win over Fort Lewis early in February. Billy led all players with 24 points and six steals. Wattawa followed with 15 points and seven rebounds.
 
Around the RMAC
The RMAC regular season crown comes down to the final weekend of play. Heading into this week's league games, there are five teams fighting for the RMAC title. Colorado Mesa currently leads the way and has played one more game than its competitors. Mesa is 17-4, followed by Regis, Adams State, and UCCS who all own 16-4 marks. Mines rounds it out at 15-5. Fort Lewis sits in ninth place, two games behind CSU Pueblo. In the statistical standings, Fort Lewis ranks eighth in points per game (65.5), seventh in 3-point FGs made (6.3), seventh in scoring defense (66.0), fourth in free throw percentage (76.1), third in turnover margin (4.54), second in steals (12.73), and second in average home attendance (986).
 
In the National Ranks
The Skyhawks have seen numerous improvements in year three of the head coach Taylor Harris era. Fort Lewis ranks in the top 20 in three statistical categories with two games remaining in the regular season. The team ranks 14th in steals per game (12.7), 11th in three throw attempts per game (22.38), and 3rd in made free throws per game (17.04). Fort Lewis ranks 4th in NCAA Division II in total home attendance with over 14,000 fans making their way to Whalen Gymnasium this season. Individually, junior Sadie Misner ranks fourth in NCAA DII in free throw percentage (91.8)
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