“I told the team at the end sometimes you're the ant, sometimes you're the foot. Today we were the ants.”
That was Fort Lewis coach Taylor Harris after the Skyhawks women’s basketball team suffered a brutal 87-61 loss Tuesday at Adams State.
The 26-point defeat was the biggest of the season and ties the most amount of points Fort Lewis has given up in a game so far in 2023-24. The Skyhawks previously lost to Adams State 76-56 at home earlier this season.
Fort Lewis fell to 11-12 overall and 8-9 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play after shooting 40% from the field, 26% from 3-point range and 62% from the free-throw line.
Adams State improved to 18-7 overall and 13-4 in the RMAC after shooting 50% from the field, 30% from 3-point range and 71% from the free-throw line. The Grizzles out-rebounded the Skyhawks 41-23.
“We came out a little bit flat and we played Adams State basketball and we didn't really play Fort Lewis basketball,” Harris said. “We tried to turn it around, but whenever we turned it around, they would hit big shots. That's what good teams do.”
Harris said they played Adams State basketball because the Skyhawks played a slower tempo one-on-one game with low energy instead of having high energy on defense, having their hands out and being ready to get deflections.
Harris also accredited Adams State’s 87 points to Fort Lewis being sloppy with the ball, and they left some of the RMAC’s best 3-point shooters open too many times.
Senior forward Kelsey Sorenson led the Skyhawks with 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting from the field and 3 of 5 from the free-throw line along with six turnovers. She was the lone Skyhawk in double figures.
Harris said he’s proud of Sorenson being more cognizant of picking up fouls and therefore being able to stay in the game and play more minutes.
Sophomore guard Lanae Billy struggled in Tuesday’s game and only finished with six points on 2 of 7 shooting from the field and 2 of 4 shooting from beyond the arc. Billy averages 16.1 points per game.
“They sold out to not letting her get a catch,” Harris said about the Grizzles’ defense on Billy. “Even when we would try to set double screens or single screens to get her open they sold out to switch and to deny. It was really challenging for her but she got great points when we started creating turnovers that's when she’s really good. These games happen and I have my full confidence she's going to bounce back and have a great game Saturday.”
Adams State’s Kiiyani Anitielu had 21 points on 8 of 12 shooting from the field, 2 of 3 from 3-point range and 3 of 5 from the free-throw line. Riahana Davis had 17 points for Adams State.
The Grizzles led 18-12 after the first quarter. From there, they dominated the second quarter to lead 45-23 at halftime and never looked back.
Fort Lewis will host its Pink Game against Western Colorado University at 4 p.m. Saturday.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
