Fort Lewis College guard Briana Clah was certainly happy to get back to Bob Hofman Court at Whalen Gymnasium for Saturday night’s game against Westminster.
After going 2-1 on a brutal road trip spanning three games in five nights, Fort Lewis (8-2, 4-2 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) returned to Whalen Gymnasium, and Clah gave the hometown crowd a holiday season treat.
The guard was a one-woman wrecking crew as she led Fort Lewis with a career-high 34 points on 13-for-17 shooting from the field and 6-for-8 from 3-point range. The performance single-handedly carried the Skyhawks to a 78-66 win, the fourth in the last five games for FLC.
“I made a couple shots, and I was just feeling it,” Clah said. “They just weren’t getting a hand up. I made a few, and they kept giving me space at the arc.”
Clah scored 11 of the team’s 29 first-half points and sparked a 14-0 run that put the Skyhawks up for good. It wasn’t only Clah and the Skyhawks’ offense that was clicking, the FLC defense was equally relentless.
Fort Lewis held the Griffins (5-5, 3-3 RMAC) scoreless for almost 8 minutes during the run, which led to a 29-19 halftime lead.
“Westminster is a really good team, so the defensive performance we put on them for awhile was impressive,” Fort Lewis head coach Jason Flores said. “They have a lot of skilled players offensively, so, yeah Briana had a heck of a night, but the defense is what set the tone in that first half.”
The Griffins found a rhythm in the second half, but it was no match for what Clah found.
The guard caught fire in a big way, scoring 11 points in the third quarter to give the Skyhawks even more of a cushion.
For good measure, Clah was perfect in the final quarter, knocking down two more 3-pointers and displaying an arsenal of offensive skills while amassing a career-high in points on a special night.
“I can’t remember a game when it went that well,” Clah said. “Definitely not since high school.”
Ande Lampert had 13 points for the Skyhawks, and Kayla Herrera added nine. Denise Gonzalez led the Griffins with 14 points.
Fort Lewis will have to play one more game, the fifth in 11 nights, Monday against Western New Mexico before heading home for break. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. at FLC’s Whalen Gymnasium.
jfries@durangoherald.com
