GUNNISON, Colo. – After taking a late lead, the Fort Lewis College women's basketball team was called for a costly foul, leading to free throws that secured a 59-57 win for Western Colorado University on Saturday afternoon.
The fourth-quarter comeback fell short, dropping the Skyhawks to 14-10 overall and 7-9 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. The Mountaineers improved to 13-9 overall and 11-5 in conference play.
Fort Lewis shot 35.7 percent from the field and just 14.3 percent from three but had a strong performance at the free throw line, going 15-of-19. The Skyhawks recorded 36 rebounds and committed only nine turnovers. Western Colorado shot 28.3 percent from the field and 23.9 percent from three while attempting 24 free throws.
Freshman Alemaualii Fonoti led the team with 11 points and seven rebounds, followed by freshman Savanna Dotray with 10 points. Sophomore Claudia Palacio Gámez added seven rebounds, while senior Ashten Martinez contributed six rebounds and three assists.
The game was tied 2-2 through the first three minutes, with both teams missing early three-point attempts. Western Colorado took its first lead after Fort Lewis' third team foul resulted in two made free throws. Porter answered with a driving layup, but the Mountaineers responded with a corner three to take a 7-4 lead at the media timeout. Palacio Gámez scored out of the break, but a Western Colorado run pushed the home team's lead to seven. The Skyhawks responded with a three from Lamb and two free throws from Porter to cut the deficit to 13-12 with 1:35 remaining. Western Colorado scored the final basket of the quarter to take a 15-12 lead.
Fort Lewis kept it close in the second quarter, highlighted by a layup from Guanella to make it 15-14. Both teams traded baskets to reach an 18-16 score before Davis made it a one-point game at the line. After a scoreless stretch, Western Colorado's Jayda Maves, the conference's leading three-point shooter, hit her first three of the game. Dotray answered with a jumper at the 4:41 mark, but the Mountaineers added two free throws for a 23-19 lead. Western Colorado extended its lead late in the half with a put-back layup, but Palacio Gámez hit a buzzer-beating three to send Fort Lewis into halftime trailing 28-24.
Strong defense by Fort Lewis held Western Colorado scoreless on its first possession of the third quarter, while Davis scored inside to make it a one-possession game. Guanella later cut the deficit to one, but a 6-0 Mountaineers run pushed the lead to 35-28. Western Colorado added another basket before a two-minute scoreless stretch. Fonoti ended the drought with a free throw, but Western responded with back-to-back threes to extend the lead to 43-29. Fort Lewis scored six straight points late in the quarter, but a last-second jumper by the Mountaineers made it 45-35 heading into the fourth.
Western Colorado opened the fourth quarter with three points before Fonoti scored back-to-back layups to cut the deficit to 50-40. The Skyhawks trimmed the margin to five with five minutes remaining after Martinez and Porter combined for five points. The deficit hovered between five and six points as Western Colorado continued to draw fouls and convert free throws. Fort Lewis answered with four straight points to make it a four-point game with under two minutes left. Davis cut the lead to two after scoring off a steal, and Lamb followed with a steal and layup to tie the game at 55-55 with 1:05 remaining.
Fort Lewis forced a defensive stop and drew a foul on the rebound to set up a go-ahead opportunity. Dotray made both free throws to give the Skyhawks their first lead since early in the first quarter with 28 seconds remaining. Western Colorado drew a foul on the next possession and made one free throw to cut the deficit to one with 14 seconds left. Fort Lewis was then called for a foul on the Mountaineers' final possession, leading to two made free throws and a 58-57 Western Colorado lead. Another Fort Lewis foul led to one additional free throw. The Skyhawks' final shot to tie the game rattled off the rim as time expired.
Fort Lewis returns home next week for its final games of the season inside Whalen Gymnasium. The Skyhawks host Chadron State College on Thursday before facing South Dakota Mines on Saturday for Senior Day.
