Western Colo. WC 17-6,12-4 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC 6-18,3-13 RMAC

Western Colo. WC

17-6,12-4 RMAC

Final

Feb. 15, 2025

Fort Lewis FLC

6-18,3-13 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Western Colo. WC	18	18	25	25	86
Fort Lewis FLC	20	14	13	23	70

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Senior Darla Hernandez was the hot hand against WCU and scored a career-high 27 points (Feb. 15)

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 2/15/2025 3:55:00 PM | Angela Roberts, Associate AD-Communications

Hernandez pours in 27 points in loss to Western Colorado

DURANGO, Colo. – The Skyhawks women's basketball team surrendered a second-half surge to the Mountaineers and fell by an 86-70 final score despite a career-high 27 points from senior Darla Hernandez.

Fort Lewis fell to 6-18 overall and 3-13 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play while Western Colorado improved to 17-6 on the year and 12-4 in league play.

Fort Lewis shot 39.3 percent (24-of-61) from the field and 89.5 percent (17-of-19) from the free throw line. Western Colorado turned in a 56.7 shooting percentage (34-of-60). The Mountaineers earned 35 rebounds compared to 29 for the Skyhawks. The teams were even with 13 turnovers and 12 assists apiece.

Hernandez led all players with 27 points while going 10-of-12 from the field. Senior Livia Knapp followed with 14 points while sophomore Natalie Guanella contributed 11. Guanella was the team-leading with seven rebounds. Western Colorado was led by Rachel Cockman's 24-point, 11-rebound outing.

The Mountaineers held onto a four-point lead after two minutes before five points from Hernandez flipped the script for a Skyhawks lead. Senior Eva Kingston followed with a three of her own, and the Fort Lewis lead held until the four-minute mark when Western Colorado tied it up. The visitors went on a 4-0 scoring run to build back a lead, and the final two minutes saw multiple lead changes. It was a pair of free throws from Hernandez that made it 20-18 in favor of Fort Lewis heading into the second quarter.

Western Colorado reclaimed a lead early in the second quarter thanks to a 10-point scoring run that was eventually snapped by a Natalie Guanella layup. The Skyhawks began chipping away and eventually pulled within four points with 2:28 on the clock. Hernandez reached 17 points on the afternoon with a jumper to make it a one-possession game, and Guanella knotted it up in the following possession with two makes at the line. Western Colorado earned the final possession of the half and converted with 1.8 seconds to go to carry a 36-34 lead into the break.

Junior Deniece Ryan scored the game-tying bucket quickly in the third quarter, but the Mountaineers answered with a run that built their lead to 10 points. Freshman Katie Lamb and Guanella combined for four points to bring the difference down to single digits, and Knapp drained an eventual three to see a 53-47 score. Western Colorado ended the quarter by holding Fort Lewis scoreless for over four minutes and tacking on eight points to lead 61-47 at the buzzer.

The Skyhawks ended their scoreless streak with Hernandez at the line, but the Mountaineers continued to dominate from the field and extended the lead to 19 points. That difference held for the majority of the quarter before back-to-back threes for Western Colorado made it 86-64. Knapp controlled the final minute with three points at the line and a late three from the field to end the game in an 86-70 score.

Fort Lewis plays its final two home games of the season next week against CSU Pueblo and Colorado Christian University. Thursday's game versus the ThunderWolves tips off at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday's slate against the Cougars is set for 1:00 p.m.

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