When even the best looks aren’t quite dropping, try getting closer to the basket.
And that worked just fine for the Skyhawks on Friday night against the Moutain Lions.
The Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team scored 18 of its 26 points in the paint after halftime, and center Christie Groh hit 6-of-7 after intermission for 16 of her 20 points and pulled in eight rebounds as the Skyhawks rallied to top UC-Colorado Springs 68-64 on Friday at Whalen Gymnasium in both teams’ Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference openers.
FLC (4-1, 1-0 RMAC) trailed 27-22 at halftime after making just a paltry 24.1 percent from the field. The Skyhawks adjusted and began to get the ball in the lane, either through post feeds or by guard penetration, and it began to pay off as a 12-2 run early in the second half allowed FLC to get back in the game and eventually pull away.
“We get into ... some funks. We weren’t scoring the ball well. ... We just felt like we could attack the rim from the perimeter or get it in to our posts because I thought we had an advantage there,” FLC head coach Jason Flores said.
The biggest beneficiary was Groh, who hit a couple of shots late in the first half to get going before abusing the UCCS defense in the second half, leading FLC to a gaudy 58.6 percent field-goal percentage after halftime.
“I think we were also turning the ball a lot; that definitely helped trying to get it inside,” Groh said of the Skyhawks’ ball movement.
Ashley Kuchar had a huge night for the Skyhawks, connecting on 7-of-11 shots for an efficient 24 points to lead FLC while also pacing the Skyhawks with seven assists. Her eight first-half points were instrumental in keeping FLC in range at halftime.
“Maybe we just needed the halftime to just kind of regroup or get some nerves out, whatever it was, but we came out playing a lot better,” Kuchar said.
Defensively, the Skyhawks did well to stay within five at halftime before holding UCCS (1-4, 0-1 RMAC) to 31.4 percent shooting after intermission.
Abby Kirchoff, who entered the game averaging just shy of 23 points per contest, managed to find her shots either in the flow of the offense or on her own to score 27 points. The rest of her teammates, however, mustered just 37, led by Jessica Kienitz’s 13, and the Mountain Lions had 16 turnovers against just 11 assists.
“(Kirchoff’s) a good player. We didn’t defend her as well as we probably could have in some things. ... As long as she got hers but then not a lot of other people were that high ... we can live with that,” Flores said.
The Skyhawks, meanwhile, got the conference slate off to a good start and stayed unbeaten at home thanks to 21 assists, which helped them overcome 17 turnovers of their own.
FLC will host CSU-Pueblo at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
rowens@durangoherald.com
