The Skyhawks will have revenge on their minds when they will host the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference-leading Colorado State University-Pueblo ThunderWolves on Saturday night. But a victory on Saturday would be moot if the Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team can’t first get past New Mexico Highlands University at 5:30 p.m. Friday inside Whalen Gymnasium, where it is unbeaten this season.
“We’ve done a lot to focus on ourselves,” FLC head coach Jason Flores said of this week’s practices. “We’ve had a lot of competition among ourselves in practice and we know a win on Saturday doesn’t mean anything if we don’t win Friday.”
On paper, the Skyhawks and Cowgirls couldn’t be more different.
FLC (17-4, 11-4 RMAC) leads the conference with 70.7 points per game, ranks third in scoring defense by allowing 55.5 points per game and is No. 1 in defensive field-goal percentage with opposing teams shooting 33.8 percent against the Skyhawks.
Highlands, on the other hand, ranks at or near the bottom in those team categories. The Cowgirls (4-16, 2-13 RMAC) are last in the conference in scoring offense with 50.7 points per game, last in defensive field-goal percentage with opponents shooting 44.9 percent against them, and are 14th out of 15 teams in scoring defense by allowing 71.3 points per game.
FLC beat Highlands 80-49 on Dec. 2 in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
The Skyhawks have been paced this season by freshman Vivian Gray and senior Astrea Reed.
Gray has averaged 18.4 points per game, which is tops in the RMAC, to go with 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, which is tied for the most in the conference. Reed has put up 13.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.
FLC will once again be without starting senior guard Briana Clah, who has missed the last few weeks with a sprained ankle.
“We’ve missed her, and it’s been tough not having her in practice the last few weeks,” Flores said. “But we’ve had other players step up and take on some of the responsibilities.”
Helping shoulder some of the offensive responsibilities in Clah’s absence has been fellow senior guard Shelby Patterson, who has averaged 10 points per game in the Skyhawks’ last three outings.
Highlands lists only nine players on its roster – three juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen – and only boasts one player with a double-digit scoring average in Ari Baca, who has scored 10.7 points per game this season. However, the Cowgirls have three other players capable of cracking double figures in Brianna Stewart.
While Friday’s contest has the potential to be one sided, Saturday’s game against CSU-Pueblo has the makings to be a classic.
CSU-Pueblo (15-6, 13-2 RMAC) handed FLC its first loss of the season, 63-48, when the two met in their RMAC openers Dec. 1 in Pueblo. The win helped spark the ThunderWolves, who started the season 2-4, to wins in 13 of their last 15 games and a two-game lead on FLC and Black Hills State in the RMAC standings.
“I don’t think either one of us is the same team as when we played last,” Flores said. “We know they’re going to play tough and they want to keep their lead in the standings with us and Black Hills nipping at their heels.”
The ThunderWolves boast three players with double-digit scoring averages. Molly Rohrer leads the team with 14.2 points per game, Tuileisu Anderson 12 points per game and Lauren Heyn at 10.1 points per game.
CSU-Pueblo also has the reigning RMAC Defensive Player of the Week in guard Katie Cunningham, who leads the team with 9.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists to go with 7.5 points per game.
Saturday’s game is scheduled to tip at 5:30 p.m. for FLC’s First Responders Night.
kschneider@durangoherald.com
