The Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team wasn’t in a giving mood the day after Thanksgiving.
The Skyhawks took a lot more than they gave in Friday’s 88-44 blowout of St. Martin’s in Colorado Springs. Dallas Dickerson led the way for Fort Lewis with 22 points off the bench on 6-of-13 shooting from the field and a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line. Mary Rambo added nine points and Astrea Reed had eight in the rout.
The win put the Skyhawks at 4-1 to start the season. The one blemish on the schedule came in an overtime loss to No. 23 Lubbock Christian in Texas last weekend.
“We’ve been working hard and building toward this type of play,” Fort Lewis head coach Jason Flores said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “We still have ways to go and a lot of things to work on, but we’re off to a good start.”
Fort Lewis wasted no time grabbing a secure lead in Friday’s game. The Skyhawks quickly asserted themselves as the better team with a 12-2 run to begin the game to set a tone that wouldn’t be reversed.
The offensive execution and defensive pressure of the Skyhawks dominated the first half, as FLC took a convincing 40-13 lead into halftime.
Regardless of who Flores chose to send out onto the court, the Skyhawks continued to stretch the lead.
“We were very well-rounded (Friday),” Flores said. “We shared the ball and everyone played a ton of minutes, so it was a good team effort.”
Dickerson was the beneficiary of the sharing, and the sophomore has been a bright spot off the bench for Fort Lewis in providing instant offense.
“Dallas had a great game offensively and, when she got hot, it was good to see that her teammates recognized that and got her the ball in areas where she could do damage,” Flores said. “She could easily start on this team, but she has a great attitude. Dhe’s a very skilled player, and we’re relying on her to come in the game and help us out.”
True freshman Sydni Brandon led Fort Lewis with four assists and seven steals, helping the Skyhawks create 22 St. Martin’s turnovers. FLC only turned the ball over seven times.
Ande Lampert led the Skyhawks with eight rebounds, and Rambo and Victoria Trowbridge each had six.
Megan Wiedeman led St. Martin’s with nine points and nine rebounds.
By the time the buzzer sounded, the Skyhawks had doubled St. Martin’s score, and the 44-point margin of victory was the largest this season.
“We’ve set lofty goals,” Flores said. “We’re a long ways from those goals.”
jfries@durangoherald.com
