Leading scorer Jordan Vasquez was on the bench with a game-high 20 points because of foul trouble. She eventually fouled out, and the rest of the Skyhawks had to step up.
Behind big 3-point shots from Alyssa Adams, Alison Chanhthala and Bailey Osmer, the Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team was able to rally without its sophomore leader on the court much of the fourth quarter to defeat Colorado Christian University 73-67 on Saturday night in Lakewood.
The Skyhawks did it on the road without senior guard Sydney Candelaria, who was out with an injury.
“That makes this win even more special,” FLC head coach Orlando Griego said. “We had a lot of young players and experienced players step up.”
FLC trailed 56-51 in the fourth, but an Adams 3-pointer and two in a row for Osmer had the Skyhawks ahead 60-59.
Then it was Chanhthala’s turn, as she finished a beautiful drive to the basket with a layup off the glass before she made a 3 of her own the next time down the floor, and FLC suddenly led 65-59 with 5 minutes, 24 seconds to play.
Colorado Christian (0-2, 0-2 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) would get as close as 67-65 and 69-67, but a layup from Katrina Chandler and a final 3 from Chanhthala with 18 seconds to play would put the game away to give the Skyhawks (1-2, 1-2 RMAC) their first win of the season.
“We were stagnant a bit in the first half and especially that third quarter,” said Griego. “We weren’t moving the ball as much as we normally do. An emphasis this week was to move the ball and get everyone involved. We did a better job of that in the fourth. When girls did have an open shot, they were taking it and knocking it down instead of looking for another pass. That was good to see.”
Vasquez played only 20 minutes because of foul trouble but still had game highs of 20 points and nine rebounds for FLC.
“Jordan was positive on the bench, and the other girls rallied around her,” Griego said. “It was frustrating, obviously, not having our big post presence on the floor, but Brooke McGee stepped in and was huge for us rebounding.”
FLC had gone 0-of-3 from 3-point range in the third quarter but shot 5-of-8 from long range in the fourth. FLC shot 9-of-22 from 3 in the game compared to 5-of-17 for Colorado Christian.
Adams finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. The third-year FLC player was primed to star as a freshman during the 2018-19 season before an Achilles injury led to more than a year of rehabilitation. A little less than two years after the injury, all of her hard work behind the scenes to return to form showed on the court Saturday.
“I’ve been around Alyssa since her freshman year and seen her grow and push herself in her comeback. She competes with herself,” Griego said. “That hard work is paying off, and she’s the kind of kid who is only going to get better and better. I am happy to have her and see her playing and doing great things for our team.”
Osmer had a terrific game in all facets. While she finished with 10 points with big fourth-quarter baskets, her five assists and four rebounds and stout defense all game was evident.
“Her defense helped us a ton,” Griego said. “She was a little hesitant at first to shoot the ball. We told her to shoot more. She’s a great passer and great at finding extra players. But she can shoot it, too.”
Chanhthala continued her strong start to her FLC career. The transfer sophomore from College of Southern Idaho had 16 points, including the big game-clinching 3.
Taylor Ferris led the home team with 16 points. Christen Curry added 13 points, while Lourdes Gonzalez had 11 points and five rebounds.
Offensive rebounds were key for the Skyhawks in the win, as they grabbed 17 and turned those into 17 second-chance points.
FLC will return to Durango to prepare for a trip next Friday and Saturday to Regis (1-2, 1-1 RMAC) and Colorado School of Mines (3-0, 2-0 RMAC). Because of COVID-19 related cancellations and postponements, FLC has yet to play on consecutive nights this season.
“The biggest thing for us is to work on conditioning and being able to play the back-to-back,” Griego said. “We will continue to share the ball, work on rebounding and try to play good defense against two really good teams at their place. In the RMAC, it’s hard to win on the road. We will come back up here and give it our best.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
