The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is tough when teams have the benefit of a full squad. Undersized and shorthanded Friday night, Fort Lewis College’s back was against the wall before the opening tip against Regis.
The Rangers (12-8, 10-4 RMAC) took advantage of a huge size advantage and used a first half scoring outburst to blow the game open early. Regis shot 73 percent from the field in a 26-point first quarter and scored 49 points in the first half en route to a 76-67 win.
Kaylie Rader had a double-double leading the Rangers with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Bay’lee Purdy had 15 points, and Karlyn Johnson scored 13 for Regis in the win.
“We were definitely trying to get as many post touches as possible, and we did great in the first half,” said Regis head coach Molly Marrin. “When Kaylie gets it in position, she’s tough to stop, and she just keeps getting better.”
If Rader is getting better, the rest of the RMAC is in trouble.
Rader and the Rangers came out of the locker room and gave the Skyhawks no time to get acclimated to the size advantage Regis held. With FLC interior presence Mary Rambo out battling lingering concussion-like symptoms, Ande Lampert got the start at center for the Skyhawks (11-8, 7-7 RMAC). However, 30 seconds into the game Lampert had to come off with an ankle injury, and the visitors showed no mercy.
It was the dominant play in the paint from Rader and Purdy’s work from the perimeter that led to Regis’ execution from all over the floor in the first half.
The Rangers fed the ball down low to Rader early with great success. They also shot 60 percent from long range in the first, making six 3-point attempts.
Without Rambo and with a slowed Lampert, the Rangers’ center was virtually unstoppable. Rader was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field to start the game and led a Rangers low post attack that outscored FLC 22-4 in the paint in the opening half.
“It was embarrassing in that first half, and I’m sorry that people had to watch that kind of effort,” said Fort Lewis head coach Jason Flores. “That’s where the game was lost for us and, though I’m happy with what happened in the second half, we gave it to them in the first half.”
The second half was a different story.
Fort Lewis was able to gather itself in the third quarter to put together a 11-0 run that cut into the big deficit. A 15-0 fourth quarter Skyhawks run cut the Rangers’ lead to eight, but time ran out on the comeback bid.
Kate Bayes led the Skyhawks with 15 points. Dallas Dickerson had 13 and Simone Ruedin scored 11 off the FLC bench.
“There’s no reason why it takes us being down 20 points to start playing with desperation,” Bayes said. “We need to come out (Saturday) with the urgency of a team that’s already down by 20 points.”
Fort Lewis will look to bounce back at 5:30 p.m. Saturday against Chadron State.
jfries@durangoherald.com
