The Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice in one weekend.
After giving up 26 points in Friday’s first quarter against Regis, the Skyhawks turned the tables on Chadron State (7-12, 7-8 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) in Saturday’s contest. Fort Lewis used a 21-1 first-quarter run to build an insurmountable lead and coasted to a 78-51 win.
Eleven Skyhawks scored, as the FLC bench was fantastic once again outscoring the opponents 41-14.
Astrea Reed led the Skyhawks with 18 points. Dallas Dickerson had a double-double off the bench, as she added 17 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. FLC outrebounded Chadron State 55-37 with interior players Mary Rambo and Ande Lampert out with injuries.
“Our players did a great job of locking down their personnel and realized that this was the way we were going to have success,” said FLC head coach Jason Flores. “As long as we rebounded, we thought we could have success, and we did.”
Unlike Friday when the Skyhawks (12-8, 8-7 RMAC) allowed Regis to shoot 73 percent in the first quarter, Fort Lewis clamped down on defense from the opening tip and forced Chadron State into shooting a miserable six percent in the first quarter on 1-for-15 from the field.
The second quarter wasn’t much better for the visitors, as the relentless FLC defense wouldn’t cease. Meanwhile, eight Skyhawks scored in the dream first half, and the home team jogged to the locker room with a 41-17 lead.
The second half was more of the same, and it was the FLC defense that dominated once again. The Eagles offense couldn’t get it together, as the Fort Lewis defense held them without a field goal for the first five minutes of the second half.
The Skyhawks’ offense put the hammer down on the struggling Eagles as Reed, Dickerson and the Skyhawks’ reserves built a 36-point second half lead.
“We have girls who come off the bench and want to contribute,” Dickerson said. “It doesn’t matter what the score is or what our roles are, we want to come in the game and give our all.”
After four games at home, the Skyhawks will hit the road next week for a 5:30 p.m. game at South Dakota Mines on Friday and 4 p.m. matchup Saturday with Black Hills State.
jfries@durangoherald.com
