DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College women's basketball team erased a narrow halftime deficit and delivered a strong finish to secure an 86-83 victory over Colorado School of Mines on Thursday, marking the Skyhawks' first win over the Orediggers since 2020.
With the win, Fort Lewis improved to 13-6 overall and 6-5 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play, while Mines fell to 12-10 on the season and 7-4 in league action.
The Skyhawks shot 46.6 percent from the field and an efficient 45.5 percent from three-point range, while turning in their best performance at the free-throw line this season by converting 22 of 26 attempts. Fort Lewis forced 23 Mines turnovers and recorded 16 steals, more than double the Orediggers' seven.
Junior Makaya Porter led Fort Lewis with 24 points and six steals, going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. Sophomore Katie Lamb followed with 20 points on six made three-pointers, while freshman Josie Davis added 17 points. Mines was paced by Sofia Baldessari, who poured in 36 points on 11-of-21 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds.
The teams traded baskets early, with Porter's free throws tying the game at 7-7 three minutes into play. After Davis converted a steal into a Fort Lewis basket, Mines responded with a run to take a 17-13 lead. Porter and Lamb answered with back-to-back three-pointers to reclaim a 21-19 advantage late in the quarter, but a buzzer-beating three by the Orediggers knotted the score at 24-24 after one.
The offensive pace continued in the second quarter as Fort Lewis built a five-point lead early. Mines countered with a 9-0 run before junior Natalie Guanella snapped the stretch with a three-pointer. After several lead changes, the Orediggers closed the half ahead 52-49, despite Lamb's late basket and a defensive stand by the Skyhawks.
After a high-scoring first half, defense took center stage in the third quarter, which featured just 17 combined points. Mines briefly extended its lead at the free-throw line, but Fort Lewis stayed within striking distance as Dotray tied the game twice late in the period. The Orediggers edged ahead 60-58 with a pair of free throws at the buzzer.
Lamb opened the fourth quarter by converting a Porter steal into a three-pointer, swinging momentum back to Fort Lewis. Davis later capped a key stretch at the line to give the Skyhawks their largest lead of the night at 75-68 with just over four minutes remaining. Mines rallied to cut the deficit to two, but Lamb buried a crucial three after an offensive rebound by Ashten Martinez. The Orediggers connected on three late triples to pull within one with 13 seconds remaining, but Davis sealed the game with free throws to secure the 86-83 final.
Fort Lewis returns to action on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., hosting MSU Denver (8-11, 6-5 RMAC) in a rematch of the conference opener. The Skyhawks look to avenge a 95-81 loss in early December, when the Roadrunners shot 50 percent from the field.
