Fort Lewis FLC 4-9,1-4 RMAC

Western Colo. WC 9-3,4-1 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC

4-9,1-4 RMAC

Final

Jan. 09, 2025

Western Colo. WC

9-3,4-1 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Fort Lewis FLC	12	15	18	12	57
Western Colo. WC	21	21	11	22	75

Summary
Box Score

Chris Neal, Shooter Imaging

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 1/9/2025 7:19:00 PM | Angela Roberts, Associate AD-Communications

Skyhawks record season-low in turnovers but fall to Mountaineers

GUNNISON, Colo. – A strong third quarter and a season-low in turnovers were not enough for the Skyhawks women's basketball team in a 75-57 road loss to Western Colorado University on Thursday night.

With the loss, Fort Lewis fell to 4-9 overall and 1-4 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. Western Colorado continued its impressive season and improved to 9-3, 4-1 RMAC.

The Skyhawks shot 33.9 percent (21-of-62) from the field and 30 percent (6-of-20) from three. The Mountaineers were 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the field and 40 percent (6-of-15) from three. Western Colorado benefited from 36 points in the paint and outrebounded Fort Lewis 45-27. The Skyhawks committed just nine turnovers to mark a season-low while the Mountaineers ended the game with 13.

Leading Fort Lewis in scoring was junior Deniece Ryan with 14 points to go along with four steals and three assists. Freshman Katie Lamb followed with 12 points off the bench and tied for the team lead with four rebounds. Sophomore Trista Hoobler was the final player in double-figures for the Skyhawks with 11 (4-of-6 FG). Western Colorado had five players in double-figures, led by Rachel Cockman's 16-point, 10-rebound double-double.

The Mountaineers jumped ahead by five points early in the contest before a quick layup from Ryan got Fort Lewis on the board. Free throws and a layup allowed Western Colorado to build the lead to 9-2, but a steal from Hoobler and jumper by Darla Hernandez cut the deficit to five. The teams continued to play fast and went into the first media timeout in a 13-6 score. Lamb got her night started immediately out of the break with a corner three to make it a two-possession game. Western Colorado remained efficient driving to the rim and held a 21-9 lead in the final second. A late foul by Western Colorado brought Lamb to the line with .4 seconds to go, and the sophomore delivered three made free throws for a 21-12 score.

Fort Lewis' run carried into the second quarter where a free throw from Natalie Guanella was followed by a Ryan layup for a 21-15 score. Guanella made it a five-point game with a basket from deep, but Western Colorado responded with quality looks from the stripe to rebuild the lead to 11 points. Western Colorado's Rachel Cockman started to heat up in the second quarter and reached double-digits on a tip-in layup for a 31-20 score with under four minutes remaining. The teams traded three-pointers as the clock dipped under two minutes and points were scored on five-straight possessions to end the half in favor of Western Colorado, 42-27.

The Skyhawks took advantage of early foul calls against the Mountaineers to convert for a trio of points for a 42-31 score. Western Colorado responded with four points to make it an even quarter through two minutes. A quick timeout for the Mountaineer fueled a scoring run that was eventually snapped by a Lamb three-pointer to make it 51-37. Fort Lewis kept chipping away and pulled within 10 following a layup from Guanella with 1:42 on the clock. Guanella and Ryan combined for four points in the final minute to send the game into the fourth quarter in a 53-45 score. The Skyhawks outscored the Mountaineers 18-11 while shooting 53.8 percent in the third quarter.

The first three minutes of the fourth quarter saw back-and-forth scoring plays from both sides, including a jumper by Hernandez to make it 62-50 heading into a timeout. Scoring cooled off from the break as the teams traded rebounds and turnover/steal plays to bring the game to the five-minute mark. Hoobler reached 11 points at the 3:29 mark following a jumper to bring the score to 67-52. The final two minutes saw offensive production from Ryan and Hernandez, but the lead became insurmountable for Fort Lewis, and time expired on a 75-57 final.

Fort Lewis (4-9, 1-4 RMAC) heads to Salt Lake City for a Saturday matinee against Westminster University. The Griffins are coming off an impressive win over Adams State and now sit at 3-9 overall and 2-3 in conference play.

When the teams played in a nonconference game in mid-November, Fort Lewis was led by a double-double performance (18 points, 13 rebounds) from Darla Hernandez. Nawahine of Westminster earned 20 points. The game featured 12 lead changes and seven ties until the Griffins ended the game on a 7-0 run to capture the three-point win.

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