One game after the Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team was outrebounded 56-48 in a 65-63 loss at Adams State, the Skyhawks answered their coach’s call for action.
Jason Flores’ team outrebounded New Mexico Highlands 59-27 on Friday night in Las Vegas, New Mexico. That led the Skyhawks (4-3, 1-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) to a 88-51 win.
“Rebounding was key,” Flores said. “We had to bounce back and made sure we were better. Those started our fast break. Everything started with our rebounds, and, going in, we felt like we could force them into a lot of tough shots.”
Only five players scored for the Cowgirls (2-7, 0-2 RMAC), while the Skyhawks had 11 players score. Jordyn Lewis and Briana Stewart accounted for 30 of Highlands’ 51 points, as Stewart scored a game-high 19 points, and Lewis had 11.
Alyssa Yocky led FLC with 17 points and seven rebounds, and the senior forward was a perfect 8-of-8 at the foul line.
“She’s in a rhythm and has definitely rounded into the form she had before her injury last year,” Flores said of Yocky. “Sometimes it takes a long time. She missed half the year last year and never got in rhythm. This year, her senior year, she’s playing confident and knows what we need her to do to lead us to success.”
In the loss at Adams State, FLC shot only 47 percent from the foul line, and that was costly in the two-point loss. Friday night, FLC was 25-of-29 at the foul line. The team also shot nearly 40 percent from the field and was at 45.7 percent shooting halfway through the third quarter when the Skyhawks stretched a 15-point halftime lead into a 69-40 advantage after three quarters.
“Free throws cost us the game last week,” Flores said. “To come back and go 88 percent, that obviously was a focus for us. Especially on the road, you have to outrebound them and make free throws. The little stats tell you if you’re locked into the game, and we were much more locked in today than last Saturday.”
Kayla Herrera added 11 points and eight rebounds for FLC, and Jordan Carter worked around foul trouble to score 12 points and grab six rebounds. Sydney Candelaria added 10 points and eight rebounds, and Tanisha Begay had 10 points off the bench, too.
Now, FLC will face defending RMAC champion CSU-Pueblo (4-4, 2-0 RMAC) at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in Pueblo. The ThunderWolves beat Adams State 65-64 on Friday night.
“It’s a huge game,” Flores said. “It’s a really tough place to play; they don’t lose there. I’m excited, and we gotta go in there with a complete attack mentality, and I’m confident our players will play their hearts out.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
