Earning revenge for two road losses in New Mexico was good medicine for the Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team.
After dropping two January games to the Western New Mexico Mustangs and the New Mexico Highlands Cowgirls, the Skyhawks (13-7, 10-6 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) redeemed themselves for both losses after picking up a 108-78 win against the Cowgirls (10-11, 6-10 RMAC) on Saturday night at Whalen Gymnasium. It came one night after a 71-64 home win against the Mustangs.
“We have gotten better. It is hard to quantify how that is, but I feel it has been defensively, and I think that leads into offense for us,” FLC head coach Jason Flores said. “Knock on wood, but this was the seventh game in a row holding somebody under 40 percent shooting. Going into that New Mexico road trip, there were probably seven teams in a row that went over 40 percent on us.”
One nigt after setting career highs with 25 points and 13 boards, Ashley Kuchar set fire again. The 5-8 senior guard scored 18 of her game-high and new career-high 28 points in the first half, including a 4-for-5 start from behind the 3-point line.
“It is really nice, especially against these two teams,” Kuchar said of her last two performances. “We had that tough road trip, and we all knew coming in we had to be really focused and play hard.”
Kuchar was confident on the floor all night, knocking down shots in open space and setting her teammates up for good looks. She finished the game with six assists, four rebounds, a block and a steal.
“The season is coming toward an end. That gives you a sense of urgency,” Kuchar said. “Things felt comfortable and, when we are all working well together, it is a lot easier to do those things.”
Saturday’s game never was close as FLC quickly jumped out to a 19-6 lead. The advantage hit 31-11, but a few sloppy offensive possessions by the Skyhawks helped the Cowgirls trim their deficit to 31-17. After a timeout by Flores, Kuchar and Kylie Santos knocked down long-range 3-point baskets to reclaim their 20-point lead. FLC led by at least 20 points the rest of the way.
It was a big turnaround from Friday night when the Skyhawks shot just 28 percent against Western N.M.
“We are not a 28-percent shooting team. It was hard (Friday) night. We were running in mud a little bit,” Flores said. “The team that I see a lot of times came out (Saturday). We were aggressive and focused. They played with passion.”
Five FLC players scored in double figures. Christie Groh and Erika Richards each finished with 19 points. Kaile Magazzeni finished with 14 points, and Mary Brinton had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Groh had a tough first half, battling foul trouble, but she turned it on in the second half, scoring 17 points and hauling in four of her seven rebounds.
The Skyhawks will hit the road for four games before finishing the regular season with two home games. Next up is CSU-Pueblo on Friday in Pueblo.
“We have missed it. We had a lot of rough games. We finally came together, and it worked out great,” Kuchar said.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
