The Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team passed its first test of the season.
The Skyhawks overcame an up-and-down first half and a poor start to the third quarter to run away with an 85-67 victory against the University of Texas-Permian Basin during the first game of the Conference Challenge Friday at Whalen Gymnasium.
“Our players did a great job,” FLC head coach Jason Flores said. “We got down, we came back and then the flood gates opened. We got comfortable and started moving the ball. ... I told them in the locker room it was everything I’d like to script for the first game – some adversity, being down and having to come back, end up getting in a great rhythm, win by 18 and move on. It’s gonna help us down the road.”
During the first half, FLC, the 22nd-ranked team in the nation, struggled against on-ball pressure from the Falcons and committed 11 turnovers in the half, seven of which came in the first quarter.
FLC (1-0) held a 22-21 lead after the first quarter, but the Falcons (0-1) went on a big run through the first five minutes of the second and were up 35-28 at the under-5 minute media timeout.
Freshman Vivian Gray, who led FLC with 20 points, said part of the Skyhawks’ struggles in the first half were the result of first-game nerves.
“The first game is always nerve racking, but I think we settled in and figured out how to play against a zone (defense) we’ve never played against before, and we’ve never played with each other in a real game,” she said. “We just started working together and moving the ball and it worked out for us.”
The Skyhawks responded and came out of the break to go on a 10-0 run during the next few minutes. The FLC defense was the driving force behind the run. On three possessions in a row, the Skyhawks forced a shot-clock violation, then forced turnovers on the next two possessions. But the Falcons scored the final seven points of the half to take a 42-38 lead into halftime.
The Falcons continued their run to start the third quarter and jumped out to a 52-39 lead with 7:15 remaining in the quarter to force an FLC timeout.
After the quick break, it was all FLC the rest of the game.
As UTPB keyed in on stopping Gray, who scored 14 points in the first half, the freshman phenom displayed her passing skills and opened the way for Kayla Herrera and Kelsey Wainright to take over the game.
Herrera, last season’s freshman of the year in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, and Wainright scored 16 of the team’s 18 points, with Herrera scoring 11, in the quarter, and the Skyhawks outscored UTPB 17-5 during the final 7:15 of the quarter to get back into the game.
Down 57-56 to start the fourth, Flores put out a lineup of Briana Clah, Gray, Herrera, Astrea Reed and Wainright that stunned the Falcons on both ends of the court.
“Their versatility is great,” Flores said of the lineup. “They can guard multiple positions. They’re good ball players who are heady and smart and can make the right plays. All five can score, all five can pass. When you have that on the floor you’re gonna be tough, and I think moving forward that will be a strength for us.”
Wainright, who has been dealing with a knee injury throughout the preseason, took control of the fourth quarter and scored 10 of her 17 points in the quarter.
“It’s exciting. It’s been a long time coming, I would say,” said Wainright, whose 17 points is a new career high. “It’s great to play with people like Vivian and have everyone come together. It’s great to be a team and be absorbed into that team really well.”
UTPB head coach Rae Boothe said she was happy with her team’s performance through the first three quarters, but disappointed with the way the Falcons disappeared in the fourth.
“The fourth quarter is why they (the Skyhawks) are ranked and we’re not. It’s experience and we have a long way to go with growing and maturing,” Boothe said. “To play three out of four (quarters), I’m happy about that for my team, but the fourth quarter never should have happened. But give them credit. They made shots, they adjusted well and we laid down. Those 10 minutes are where we need to grow to be able to compete with a team of that caliber.”
The Skyhawks dominated the boards and out rebounded the Falcons 52-36 with 22 offensive rebound. They also had 24 second-chance points compared to 7 for the Falcons.
On the day, the Skyhawks shot 43.1 percent from the field. They struggled from deep and made just 3-of-14 3-pointers, but were aggressive attacking the paint and got to the free-throw line, where they made 26-of-35 attempts.
Four Skyhawks finished the day with double-digit point totals.
Gray and Herrera had double doubles for the Skyhawks. Gray’s 20 points led the Skyhawks, and she pulled down 10 rebounds and dished out a team high seven assists. Herrera snagged a team high 13 rebounds - a new career high for her - to go with her 19 points and three steals.
Wainright had six rebounds and five assists, which also is a new career high, to go with her 17 points, and Reed added 12 points.
The Skyhawks also assisted on 20 of their 28 made field goals.
Khali Pippins-Tyron led UTPB with 32 points and Kayla Bretherton added 11 in the loss.
FLC will play Eastern New Mexico University at 7 p.m. Saturday at Whalen Gym.
The Greyhounds met South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in the second game of the day and fell 65-57.
Eastern (0-1) out rebounded the Hardrockers 45-33 but committed 19 turnovers. The Hardrockers (1-0) scored 16 points off the turnovers.
Three Hardrockers finished the day in double figures. Taylor Molstad led the way with 12 points, Sami Steffeck had 11 and Anna Haugen added 10.
Mikaehla Connor led the Greyhounds with 16 points and Jasmine Hotchkins chipped in 11.
kschneider@durangoherald.com
