Jason Flores thinks the Skyhawks are very close to being a really good team; they just need to go on a “bit of a run” to cement that status.
It could start at 1 p.m. Saturday when the Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team will host Adams State.
FLC (10-7, 7-6 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) has won three out of its last four games by holding its opponents to 31.8 percent shooting and eight total made 3-pointers.
“For us, that’s just a great stat,” Flores said. “This week, we’ve had some time to work on some things and focus on Adams State.”
The Grizzlies are struggling. They’ve lost their last five contests by double-digit margins.
Adams State (7-11, 3-10 RMAC) ranks fourth in the RMAC in scoring defense at 63.9 points per game.
That’s more because of their style of play than any other factor.
“They want a defensive, half-court game. That’s their comfort zone,” Flores said. “You have to match that defensive effort. You want to keep them at a low scoring output and find a way to manufacture points with the tempo of the game.”
The Grizzlies only score 54.6 points per game, last in the conference, and allow opponents to shoot 42.9 percent from the field while only making 34.6 percent of their own field goals.
No Adams State player ranks in the top-50 individual RMAC scorers. FLC, conversely, features three players in the top 10.
Erika Richards ranks sixth at 16.2 points per game, while Ashley Kuchar and Christie Groh are ninth and 10th at 15.6 and 14.5 points per game, respectively. Those three players fall just eight points per game shy of Adams State’s entire team.
The Skyhawks currently sit fourth in the RMAC, tied with Colorado Christian and Regis.
Metro State and UC-Colorado Springs are one game behind that group, while Western New Mexico, Colorado Mines and Western State trail by two games.
FLC can put a little bit of distance between itself and the pack with a strong showing at home over the next two weeks.
“We’ve crept back up in there, and we have an opportunity to push towards the top if we play the way that’s got us to this point,” Flores said.
Both teams also will have to contend with the unfamiliar 1 p.m. start time, which is four hours earlier than the teams traditionally have played their conference games.
“We know that it’s Snowdown, and at night there’s bigger events,” Flores said. “We’re hoping to give families some sort of entertainment during the day. It’s unique and hopefully something we can continue.”
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
