On a warm December day in Durango, the Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team started its home game against Adams State ice cold on offense and could never recover in its 78-50 loss on Saturday.
The Skyhawks came into the game with one of the weaker strengths of schedules in the South Central Region, and the Adams State game was one of the toughest tests of the season to this point for FLC.
FLC fans must’ve wanted to gouge their eyes out in the first quarter. The Skyhawks couldn’t shoot a ball into the ocean if they were shooting on the beach. Adams State raced out to a 14-0 lead and finished the opening quarter up 23-4; FLC shot 1-15 from the field.
Adams State increased its lead to 42-17 at the half. FLC found its offense in the second half behind freshman forward Alemaualii Fonoti, but the damage was done, and the Skyhawks couldn’t get enough stops to get back into the game.
FLC dropped to 7-3 overall and 2-2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference after it shot 31% from the field, 22% from 3-point range and 36% from the free-throw line. The Skyhawks’ 50 points are a season low.
Freshman guard Savanna Dotray led the Skyhawks with 11 points on 4-10 shooting from the field, 1-3 from 3-point range and 2-6 from the free-throw line. Fonoti added eight points on 2-5 shooting from the field and 4-10 from the free-throw line.
“The effort wasn't there,” FLC head coach Lauren Zuniga said. “We didn't show up to play. Adams is obviously very good, and you have to show up for every game. We prepare for every game the exact same.”
Adams State improved to 9-3 overall and 4-0 in the RMAC after it shot 51% from the field, 44% from 3-point range and 86% from the free-throw line. Farmington native Kiiyani Anitielu led the Grizzlies with 23 points on 6-12 shooting from the field, 1-2 from 3-point range and 10-11 from the free-throw line.
The Skyhawks’ four first-quarter points were the fewest in a quarter in Zuniga’s tenure as head coach (2024-present). Zuniga said the team missed a lot of layups and therefore, had to rely on their defense. But the Skyhawks were missing rotations, the communication wasn’t there, and FLC’s pressure wasn’t good enough.
All of those factors added up to a big deficit in the first half, as the Skyhawks were down by as many as 33 points early in the second quarter.
FLC’s defense was much better in the third quarter, with the Skyhawks staying in front of their assignments, but the offense still really struggled. Adams State didn’t score in the first four minutes of the third quarter, but FLC struggled with turnovers, limiting its offensive opportunities.
Adams State eventually got its offense going in transition and in the half-court, keeping its lead above 20 points until the end of the quarter, when FLC did a good job of getting post touches into Fonoti. It was a smart move to use her as the hub of the offense with the FLC guards struggling to create for themselves and others.
Fonoti used her strength to finish inside, scoring six points in a two-minute stretch late in the third quarter to get the offense going. FLC ended the third quarter strong and trailed 52-39 going into the fourth. It could’ve been a closer margin if it weren’t for FLC’s putrid free-throw shooting, going 31% from the charity stripe in the third.
“She switched her mindset,” Zuniga said about Fonoti. “She realized the importance she has, especially when it's a is a mismatch. We did get their number 30 (Taejhuan Hill) into foul trouble a little bit, and so they were forced to play their backup post.”
FLC continued to find success in the paint to start the fourth, with timely cuts and drives leading to high percentage shots close to the basket. The Skyhawks fans never saw their team complete the comeback, as the closest FLC got was 12 points.
Turnovers by the Skyhawks led to points for the Grizzlies, and it didn’t help FLC that Fonoti fouled out with 4:30 left.
FLC hits the road to play Maryville University in Tyler, Texas, on Wednesday.
“I'll be curious to see how we do,” Zuniga said. “The most telling thing about a team is how you respond after a loss. We definitely don't want to turn it into two or three losses going to break.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
