Fort Lewis FLC 12-16,9-13 RMAC

Colo. Sch. of Mines CSM 21-7,16-6 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC

12-16,9-13 RMAC

Final

Mar. 02, 2024

Colo. Sch. of Mines CSM

21-7,16-6 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Fort Lewis FLC	17	18	19	28	82
Colo. Sch. of Mines CSM	17	27	14	31	89

Summary
Box Score

Hayden Mangan, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications

Sophomore Kate Gallery closed out the season with a career-high 20 points against Mines

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 3/2/2024 7:51:00 PM | Angela Roberts, Assistant AD-Communications

Gallery secures career-high in season finale, Skyhawks fall to Orediggers

GOLDEN, Colo. – Skyhawks women's basketball scored their most points in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game since 2021 to close out the season, narrowly losing to Colorado School of Mines by an 89-82 final.

Fort Lewis College closed out the season with an overall record of 12-16 and a conference mark of 9-13. Mines will advance to the conference tournament with an overall record 21-7 and a 16-6 clip in league play.

The Skyhawks shot 40.4 percent (23-of-57) from the field and 25 percent (5-of-20) from three versus a 41 percent (25-of-61) mark from the field and 33.3 percent (8-of-24) efficiency from three. The teams spent a lot of time at the free throw line, combining for 62 points. For Fort Lewis, 31 made free throws is the most since February 7, 2014 when the team combined for 35. Also notable, the Skyhawks outrebounded the Orediggers 40-39—a significant improvement after being outrebounded by 18 in the previous meeting.

Sophomore Kate Gallery earned a career high with 20 points to go along with six rebounds. Sophomore Lanae Billy matched that number, earning 20 points for her 12^th game of the season with at least 20 points. Senior Kelsey Sorenson followed with 18 points and matched a team-high with seven rebounds. Junior Sadie Misner rounded out double digit scoring for Fort Lewis with 15 on the night. Junior Samantha Wattawa closed out her solid defensive season with seven boards.

The teams played in a 2-2 tie through the first minute of play before the Orediggers built the lead to 6-2. That score held for three minutes until Billy drained her first three-pointer of the night. The one-point margin was short lived, though, and the home team claimed a 10-5 advantage heading into the media timeout. Evans snapped a Fort Lewis scoreless streak with a made free throw, and Gallery followed with two of her own for a 10-8 score with under three minutes on the clock. The one possession gap held into the final minute of the quarter thanks to five points from Billy, making it 17-15 in favor of Mines. The Skyhawks took advantage of the Orediggers' seventh turnover of the quarter to bank one last jumper and carry a 17-17 tie into quarter two.

Mines took command in the early goings of the second quarter with five-straight points before Billy got Fort Lewis on the board with a deep two-point basket. The Skyhawks chipped away to pulled within two points again, this time after Sorenson contributed her first points of the game. Gallery managed to tie the game at 26-all on the team's next possession, but Mines responded with a turnaround jumper to grab the lead after five minutes of play. The Orediggers used a corner three to extend the lead, but the Skyhawks battled to keep it a one possession game with two minutes to go. Free throws were the name of the game late in the quarter with Mines racking up 12 makes to see a 44-35 edge heading into the break.

Gallery brought her point total to 11 as the third quarter got underway, dropping in two at the stripe to pull the Skyhawks within seven. The Orediggers came back with a 7-2 scoring burst to widen the gap at 51-39. Fort Lewis got to work and cut into the lead with points from Wattawa and Misner to trail by eight at the media break. Both teams earned time at the free throw line to add to the point total, and the separation remained at eight at the two-minute warning. Sorenson kicked her game up a notch late in the quarter, converting on two and-one chances to see the Skyhawks within four points. The score held at 58-54 as the teams geared up for the final quarter.

Offense was cooking in the fourth quarter as the teams combined for four made field goals to make it 63-58 in favor of Mines. Sorenson continued to keep her team in the mix, bringing her point total to 18 after another three-point play for a 65-61 score. Billy made her presence known after going quiet midway through the game and made two free throws to make it a two-point game. The teams exchanged three-pointers and the score held at a three-point different with 6:12 to go. Two minutes later, Misner and Evans combined for four free to make it 75-72. Fort Lewis continued to stay within striking distance thanks to stout free throw shooting as the score drifted to 82-77 with 1:42 to go. At the one minute mark, Gallery established a career-high with a corner three to bring her point total to 20 and pull the Skyhawks within two points. Mines responded with four points before Billy got to the line for two made free throws with 16 seconds on the clock. Despite the late effort, Mines managed to pull away with foul shots to secure an 89-82 home win.

Farewell to the Seniors
Tonight's game marked the end of the careers for seniors Ember Cervantes and Kelsey Sorenson. Thank you for representing the Skyhawks with passion and pride during your three seasons in the blue and gold.

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