Nearly two weeks off proved to be exactly what the Skyhawks’ offense needed to get back on track.
The Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team saw its offense match the level of its strong defensive play Friday night against Chadron State at the new Chicoine Center in Chadron, Nebraska.
After battling poor shooting much of the first half of the season, FLC regrouped over the break and shot 39.3 percent from the field Friday to take a 77-59 victory.
“It was a great game for us,” FLC head coach Jason Flores said. “I think the break did a lot of good for everyone. It’s always tricky; either you come back in a worse or better place. For us, it was better for our players.”
The Skyhawks (6-4, 3-3 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) were led by junior forward Mary Brinton of Pagosa Springs. The preseason all-conference player had been slow coming back from offseason surgery, but she made a statement to open 2015 with a game-high 21 points in 19 minutes. She scored 17 points in the first half and boosted her shooting percentage with a 7-of-10 night from the field. Brinton entered the game with the third-best shooting percentage in the RMAC. She also added a team-high eight rebounds.
“Mary was scoring inside and played in a better rhythm,” Flores said. “She was scoring inside, and it opened things up outside.”
FLC also was helped by improved outside shooting, making 6-of-15 shots from 3-point territory.
The game was tied at 12 through 10 minutes before the Skyhawks began to pull away from the Eagles (1-10, 1-6 RMAC). FLC went on a 7-0 run, and Brinton went on a tear to help the Skyhawks build a 34-19 lead at halftime.
Though Brinton battled foul trouble and was limited to four points in the second half, the rest of the Skyhawks picked up the scoring load.
Senior post player Kaile Magazzeni scored 10 points and collected five rebounds. Dallas Dickerson, Kylie Santos and Skylyn Webb all finished with nine points, and Michelle Turner added eight.
“The shots were good and came off good passes, which makes them easier,” Flores said. “We took care of the ball and took good shots and really spread out the scoring, which is good to see.”
The FLC defense held Chadron State leading scorer Emma Block to nine points on 2-of-7 shooting. Maka Daysh led the Eagles with 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Skyhawks also turned 24 Chadron State turnovers into 24 points.
Flores hopes to see that roll over into a tough game Saturday night at Black Hills State (6-4, 5-2 RMAC), which knocked FLC out of the conference tournament a year ago.
“It’s gonna be extremely tough. They’re probably top two in the conference, talent-wise,” Flores said of the Yellow Jackets. “We have to go in there and battle. After (Friday night), I feel like we will.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
