The Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team was without superstar freshman Vivian Gray, but it didn’t matter in a road game in Gunnison.
FLC rolled in the fourth quarter and outscored the Western State Colorado University Mountaineers 20-10 in the game’s final 10 minutes to take a 74-56 road win.
Gray was ruled out for this weekend’s road trip with an undisclosed injury, but FLC (19-5, 13-5 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) benefited big from the return of senior guard Briana Clah, who scored 14 points in the first half on 5-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-3 from 3-point distance. She finished with 19 points, three steals and two assists.
“It’s good to have her back,” FLC head coach Jason Flores said of Clah, who missed six-plus games with an ankle injury. “This whole year, we haven’t played with everybody healthy. At the beginning of the year, Alyssa Yocky was out a long time, then (Clah) got hurt, and we’re playing without (Gray) this weekend. That’s just crazy. But we’ve talked about it, and it’s about the next person stepping up. (Clah) came back and gave us a big boost we needed.”
Flores called Friday night’s game a must-win going into a 5:30 p.m. Saturday game against rival Colorado Mesa University (17-7, 11-7 RMAC) in Grand Junction.
“I’m proud of the team for getting back and winning two of the last three,” Flores said. “We had to get this one going into Mesa.”
Astrea Reed scored a game-high 20 points in the Skyhawks’ win. Kayla Herrera added 15 points. Yocky had a big night with eight points, 13 rebounds and a team-high three assists, as she helped fill the void of Gray.
“It hurts having the leading scorer of the conference out, and she’s such a dynamic player,” Flores said of Gray. “But we do have a lot of other players who step up. For Alyssa to have 13 rebounds and getting her back in the flow and confident, that’s big for us.”
Western State was led by Samantha Coleman’s 13 points. Chandler Sturms and Keelie Lawler had 11 each, and Tammarrah Gothard had 10 points.
The Skyhawks recored 14 steals in the game as part of the Mountaineers’ 24 turnovers that FLC turned into 23 points.
CSU-Pueblo (18-6, 16-2 RMAC) can clinch at least a share of the RMAC regular-season title Saturday night against Westminster. FLC will play a key game against the Mavericks in hopes of staying at second place in the conference. FLC beat Colorado Mesa 57-51 on Dec. 8 in Durango.
“I expect a great game,” Flores said. “It’s two good teams again playing each other. It’s a postseason-type game. I like our team and the fight we have, and I know we will be ready to go.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
