The Skyhawks’ outside shooters were as cold as the Arctic Circle as Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team lost its first game of the season, 74-67, to Simon Fraser University on Saturday.
FLC shot a season-low 9% from 3-point range in the Skyhawks’ second game in the Maverick Thanksgiving Classic in Grand Junction. Despite this, FLC was within striking distance for most of the game against Simon Fraser, but the Red Leafs took advantage of FLC going 0-10 from beyond the arc in the second half to pull away.
“If you're not able to put the ball in the hoop, obviously you're not going to win even if you're getting stops,” FLC women’s basketball head coach Lauren Zuniga said. “Down the stretch, we found a way to kind of chip away a little bit, but it was almost too late. I’m super proud of the way we got to the free-throw line a little bit better.”
Even with the loss, FLC is off to its best start since the 2017-2018 season at 5-1 overall. The Skyhawks shot 31% in the loss and 74% from the free-throw line. Freshman forward Alemanualii Fonoti led the Skyhawks with 20 points in 6-10 shooting from the field, 8-10 shooting from the free-throw line and six rebounds in only 18 minutes off the bench. Sophomore guard Katie Lamb added 14 points and seven rebounds for FLC.
Zuniga said Fonoti got her points on some designed sets and her being aggressive inside. She was proud of how efficient Fonoti was from the field and free-throw line; Zuniga wished she had gone to her more inside.
Simon Fraser improved to 4-5 overall after it shot 37% from the field, 38% from 3-point range and 73% from the free-throw line. Rachel Loukes led the Red Leafs with 20 points on 6-18 shooting from the field, 2-7 from 3-point range, 6-6 from the free-throw line and nine rebounds.
FLC only trailed 19-17 after the first quarter and 36-33 at the half, despite shooting 26% from the field and 15% from 3-point range. The Skyhawks were down 15 points at the beginning of the fourth quarter before getting as close as five points in the closing seconds. FLC couldn’t get over being outscored, 15-0, in 3-pointers in the second half.
“We got zoned the whole game,” Zuniga said. “We haven't been zoned pretty much all year. Some of them (3-point shots) were just what zones are supposed to do and make you shoot a bunch of threes. To their credit, we didn't make any, so they were able to stay in their zone.”
Despite the loss on Saturday, FLC didn’t leave Grand Junction empty-handed as it beat Sul Ross State, 89-67, on Friday.
FLC used a dominant 31-17 first quarter and led 48-26 at the half. FLC improved to 5-0 overall after it shot 47% from the field, 33% from 3-point range and 60% from the free-throw line. Junior Makaya Porter led the Skyhawks with 19 points with 7-9 shooting from the field, 5-9 from the free-throw line, six rebounds and a team-high five blocks. Lamb added 17 points on 7-14 shooting from the field and 3-8 from 3-point range.
Zuniga said the Skyhawks were taking better shots and were in rhythm on offense in the first quarter against Sul Ross State to get their big lead. She also said Sul Ross State was a lot smaller than Simon Fraser, which made things easier for FLC.
“Going on the road, playing a two-day stretch, and we've been on the road a bunch, you're happy with 1-1,” Zuniga said. “But with that being said, if it feels like it's a game you could have won and you left stuff out on the floor, that makes it harder. Credit to Simon Fraser … but I do feel like we had our chances to win, and we just couldn't pull away.”
FLC begins Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play on Thursday at MSU Denver at 5:30 p.m.
The FLC men’s basketball team hasn’t had what it takes to beat the top teams on its nonconference schedule so far, including the Skyhawks’ 78-77 loss against Angelo State on Friday and its 105-84 loss to No. 15 West Texas A&M on Saturday.
FLC dropped to 2-4 overall after its two losses in the West Texas A&M Thanksgiving Classic in Canyon, Texas. It’s the program’s first four-game losing streak since the COVID-19-shortened 2020-2021 season.
On Friday, FLC shot 47% from the field, 32% from 3-point range and 72% from the free-throw line. Junior guard Donald Bangham Jr. led the Skyhawks with 16 points off the bench on 5-7 shooting from the field, 3-4 from 3-point range and 3-7 from the free-throw line; Bangham did have seven turnovers. Redshirt sophomore guards Stewart Erhart and Jaxon Smith each had 15 points in the loss.
Angelo State improved to 7-1 overall after the win. Jesaiah McWright led the Rams with 21 points on 4-9 shooting from the field, 0-2 from 3-point range and 13-14 from the free-throw line.
FLC had a 9-4 lead early on, but once again, the Skyhawks fell behind by double-digits. It’s been a constant theme for FLC; the Skyhawks have been down double-digits in the first half of all four of their losses. An Angelo State 3-pointer gave the Rams a 33-22 lead with 1:44 left in the first half. The Skyhawks did respond with an 8-0 run at the end of the first half to cut the deficit to 33-30.
It was a familiar sight for Skyhawks fans in the second half. FLC came back to lead in the second half like it had in its previous two losses, and the trend continued with FLC unable to hold its lead in the closing stages.
Saturday’s loss to West Texas A&M was different from any of FLC’s previous three losses. FLC did have a lead early in the first half, but the Skyhawks were down by as many as 26 points in the first half, and they trailed 56-36 at the half. The 26 points were the most FLC had trailed by this season as West Texas A&M made 12 first-half 3-pointers.
There was no second-half lead for FLC; the Skyhawks trailed by as many as 31 points as West Texas A&M cruised to an easy win. The 21-point loss is the biggest in FLC men’s basketball head coach Jordan Mast’s tenure.
FLC shot 48% from the field, 47% from 3-point range and 65% from the free-throw line. Erhart had a career-high 30 points on 11-16 shooting from the field, 2-3 from 3-point range and 6-7 from the free-throw line in the win.
The Buffaloes shot 49% from the field, 46% from 3-point range and 78% from the free-throw line. Fontaine Williams led West Texas A&M with 29 points on 7-13 shooting from the field, 4-6 from 3-point range.
FLC will stay on the road to begin RMAC play at MSU Denver on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Mast will need to clean up his team’s defense as the Skyhawks’ opponents in this four-game losing streak are averaging 93 points per game and are shooting an average of 47% from the field. Last season, the most 3-pointers FLC allowed in a game was 13. The Skyhawks have allowed Lubbock Christian to make 20 3-pointers and West Texas A&M 18 3-pointers in this four-game losing streak.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
