One night after an offensive outburst generated an easy 27-point win, Fort Lewis College’s women’s basketball team had anything but an easy time Saturday with Eastern New Mexico University.
The Skyhawks (2-0) had trouble finding the bottom of the basket for most of the contest. They were outscored in the paint 24-12, outscored in bench points 28-15 and outshot 39 percent to 31 percent from the field. In crunch time, however, Fort Lewis found its groove behind the sharp shooting of senior Kylie Santos and pulled out a gritty 67-64 comeback win against the Greyhounds (1-1) at Whalen Gymnasium.
Santos’ 17 points led the Skyhawks in scoring for the second consecutive game. Astrea Reed had 11 points, while Mary Rambo finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.
“We were struggling offensively, and we didn’t attack like we should have,” said FLC head coach Jason Flores. “It was like chiseling rock for awhile there until the end when we got to the free-throw line and Kylie hit some big shots. A win is a win, though, and that’s about all you can say about this one.”
Fort Lewis shot a measly 24 percent from the field in the first half on 8-of-33 from the field and 2-of-12 from long range. The result was a 26-23 halftime deficit, a score that was much closer than the stats indicated because of hard-nosed defense by FLC.
In the second half, FLC racked up 19 points at the foul line, which was key in the outcome. The Skyhawks outscored their opponents 24-7 from the line for the game.
Reed was 5-of-6 from the foul line in the second half and made some important ones down the stretch. Rambo also made five free throws in the second half, but the game was won by Santos.
A questionable foul call lit a fire in the senior guard and, instead of taking her frustration out on the officials, she took it out on the net.
Down 56-51 inside 5 minutes left in the game, the Skyhawks rallied to produce a 9-0 run punctuated by two clutch 3-pointers by Santos.
Reed’s two free throws gave FLC a 57-56 lead, and Santos’ rainbow from the corner shortly after extended the lead to four.
The Greyhounds cut the deficit back to two, and Santos put the lights out with a long 3 from the wing.
“It was a pretty emotional game, and I was pretty fired up there in the second half,” Santos said. “I thought the foul call was a tough call, but I was just trying to get my team back in the game, and I did with some 3s.”
Santos’ clutch shooting was big for the home team, but just as big were the free throws made down the stretch by Reed, Santos and Rambo to keep the lead.
“It was a tough shooting night for me,” Reed said. “I knew to help my team I’d have to find a way to get to the line or penetrate and get them open looks.”
Reed did all of that and was also a key performer on defense. She led the team with four assists and her 35 minutes on the court were more than anyone on either side.
With a 67-64 lead and 12 seconds remaining, the Greyhounds had the ball and a chance to tie. The Skyhawks clamped down on defense and Eastern New Mexico never got a good look.
“I really liked our defensive toughness,” Flores said. “There was a long stretch when we made it pretty tough on them. We didn’t have much rhythm on offense, but it’s a learning experience for us, and it’ll serve us well down the road. We’re happy to get out with a win.”
Earlier in the day, Westminster College beat Adams State 66-28 at Whalen Gymnasium to complete the Skyhawks Regional Challenge.
The Skyhawks will host Northern New Mexico at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in an exhibition game.
jfries@durangoherald.com
