What looked like a promising start to a two-week road trip for Fort Lewis College’s women’s basketball team went south in a hurry Friday night in Lakewood.
After a 46-point Skyhawks offensive outburst in the first half, Colorado Christian outscored Fort Lewis 10-2 in the game’s final 3 minutes, 28 seconds to complete a gritty second half comeback and win the game 72-69.
Skyhawks senior Mary Rambo had a perfect night from the field but was held off the floor for much of the second half with foul trouble. Rambo scored 15 points in 15 minutes on a flawless 6-for-6 shooting and led the team in scoring along with Dallas Dickerson, who also had 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
“We had this one won and we just had to finish it off,” Fort Lewis head coach Jason Flores said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “We turned the ball over down the stretch and became an undisciplined team when it mattered the most.”
On Dec. 12, Fort Lewis cruised to a 64-50 win against the Cougars at Whalen Gymnasium and it looked like a similar outcome was coming on Friday as Colorado Christian trailed for much of the game and spent the final half clawing its way back from a first half double-digit deficit.
The Skyhawks (8-5, 4-4 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) fended off every second half comeback effort the Cougars threw at them and, when Kylie Santos’ 3-pointer dropped to give FLC a 67-62 lead with just over three minutes remaining, it looked like the Cougars would never come back.
A few Fort Lewis turnovers gave the home team some late momentum, and they ran with it. Down by five, Cougars guard Taylor Torres scored the game’s next eight points including a 3-pointer that broke a 67-67 tie with two minutes remaining.
Torres’ 16 points led the way for Colorado Christian. Cougars’ center Ali Meyer added 11 points and 12 rebounds in Colorado Christian’s fifth consecutive win.
Even after the late Cougars run, Fort Lewis had a chance to tie the game in its final possession. The Skyhawks were unable to manufacture a good look, as Michelle Turner’s attempt from well beyond the 3-point line barely drew iron.
“It wasn’t the possession we were hoping for,” Flores said. “The last possession was no different than the last few minutes. We just couldn’t execute.”
The result was disappointing because it was a great first half from Fort Lewis. Dickerson was knocking down shots and Rambo was unstoppable in the paint early on.
The Skyhawks held a 46-37 halftime lead, but Rambo picked up her fourth foul just two minutes into the third quarter and Colorado Christian took advantage.
The Cougars (9-3, 6-2 RMAC) started the quarter on a 9-2 run and cut the deficit to three. Fort Lewis only managed to score nine points in a third quarter that changed the tone of the game. The Cougars continued to pry their way back into it until the comeback was complete and a stunned Skyhawks team couldn’t recover.
“We need to better understand that we can’t get away from what’s making us successful,” Flores said. “We better come out (Saturday) with the mind-set that we’re going to play a full game with discipline, and we’re going to finish strong.”
Fort Lewis will try to rebound at 5 p.m. Saturday against Colorado School of Mines which beat the Skyhawks 57-56 on a last second free throw Dec. 11.
jfries@durangoherald.com
