The Fort Lewis women’s basketball team made a furious comeback Tuesday against South Dakota Mines, but a charging foul negated a late FLC basket in the Skyhawks’ 74-72 loss.
After trailing by as many as 15 points in the game, Sydney Candelaria hit a free throw and drove through Mines’ defense for a layup to cut the Mines lead to one, 70-69. Later in the fourth, Jana Conejero hit her second 3-pointer of the quarter to keep FLC within one point of the Hardrockers, 73-72.
Mines made one free throw, and it appeared FLC tied the game at 74-74 with a Canderlaria shot down low. Candelaria, however, was called for charging, negating the basket with 49 seconds left in the game and causing her to foul out.
The Skyhawks got the ball back with 18 seconds left, but a Mines steal ended the threat and gave the Hardrockers their first win of the season.
FLC is now 2-11 overall and 1-6 in the RMAC. Mines improved to 1-12, 1-6.
The Skyhawks were without Kelsey Sorenson and Claudia Vidal, but Brooke McGee stepped up and gave FLC an early boost. McGee scored the game’s first basket and added a fast-break bucket and 3-pointer to help FLC take a 9-8 lead. Ava Strange followed with another FLC 3-pointer, but the Hardrockers hit four shots from deep in the quarter and led 19-18 after one.
Mines finished the first quarter and started the second on a 10-0 run to take a 5-point lead, 23-18. Alyssa Adams drove to the hoop and scored to stop the bleeding for FLC. Candelaria added 4 points, and Samantha Wattawa hit two free throws to give FLC the lead, 28-27.
Mines, however, finished the half on a 16-4 run to take a 43-32 lead into halftime. Two Skyhawks baskets were wiped away with traveling calls late in the half.
In the third quarter, it seemed that every time FLC made a dent in South Dakota’s lead, the Hardrockers responded with a 3-pointer. Mines knocked down four 3-pointers in the quarter and finished the game with 10. Mines led by as many as 15 points in the third, 49-34, and went into the fourth leading 62-51.
In the fourth, Candelaria scored 10 of her 23 points to spark the FLC comeback.
McGee finished with 14 points, Adams added nine, and Strange and Wattawa both scored eight. Adams blocked two shots and had a pair of steals. Conejero and Candelaria both had five rebounds.
The Skyhawks will play another pair of games on the road before returning home to Whalen on Jan. 17 to take on Chadron State College. FLC will travel to Metro State on Friday and Colorado Christian University on Saturday.
