The Fort Lewis women’s basketball team struggled at times in the first half to score against MSU Denver at home on Thursday night in the Skyhawks’ Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener. Then FLC head coach Lauren Zuniga turned to her bench and found two young playmakers to lead a comeback.
Freshman guard Katie Lamb caught fire from behind the arc and sophomore guard Natalie Guanella, after only playing five minutes before this game, couldn’t be stopped going to the basket. Lamb had a career-high 22 points off five 3-pointers and Guanella had a career-high 12 points as FLC came back in the second half to win 74-66.
“Sometimes, it's not pretty, or you're trying to work through fixing different defensive mistakes, or you're trying to fix different offensive mistakes while you're still playing,” Zuniga said. “So sometimes it doesn't look good, and the girls are trying to find their rhythm and figure out the best way to score and stop Metro. Our team found a way to do it. It's really hard to make in-game adjustments, and the girls did an amazing job at doing that. Then they found their rhythm scoring while getting some stops.”
FLC improved to 3-4 overall and 1-0 in the RMAC after it shot 47% from the field, 33% from 3-point range and 64% from the free-throw line. The Skyhawks’ 75 points is the most they’ve had in a game this year.
Lamb finished with 22 points on 6-9 shooting overall, 5-8 from 3-point range and 5-7 from the free-throw line. She also had six rebounds.
Junior guard Deniece Ryan had 14 points on 5-9 shooting from the field, 1-3 from 3-point range and 3-6 from the free-throw line. Guanella was 6-7 from the field and 0-1 from the 3-point line for her 12 points. She also had a team-high four assists.
MSU Denver fell to 1-6 overall and 0-1 in RMAC play after it shot 40% from the field, 13% from 3-point range and 63% from the free-throw line.
Nevaeh Millard led the Roadrunners with 15 points on 5-13 shooting from the field, 0-6 from 3-point range and 5-11 from the free-throw line. Jackie Pippett had 12 points for MSU Denver.
The Skyhawks got inside but struggled to finish while MSU Denver did get inside and finish to begin the first quarter. A transition layup followed by a wide-open 3-pointer gave MSU Denver a 13-7 with 1:30 in the first quarter. The Skyhawks trailed 16-12 after the first quarter.
FLC started the second quarter in an unsuccessful matchup zone. MSU Denver moved the ball easily and find open looks against a zone that had as many holes as a good slice of Swiss cheese. The Skyhawks weren’t moving well at all as a unit and this resulted in Roadrunners having mismatches inside or wide-open looks from 3-point range.
Zuniga said her team wasn’t playing with enough energy on the defensive end to make the zone work during this time.
On offense, FLC rushed most of its 3-point misses. MSU Denver took a 28-18 lead with five minutes left in the second quarter thanks to a trip to the free-throw line.
The Skyhawks started getting inside and cut into the deficit thanks to some nice drives by Lamb and Guanella. A Lamb 3-pointer cut the MSU Denver lead to 28-25 with 2:25 to go in the half.
FLC closed some gaps in the zone to make things more difficult for the Roadrunners. MSU Denver ended the first half up 32-30.
MSU Denver started the third quarter by getting to the basket and drawing fouls. And and-one bucket by Millard put MSU Denver up 40-31 with 6:45 left.
FLC struggled from downtown and its shot selection was questionable at times. Guanella gave FLC a nice spark and another driver from the guard position.
The Skyhawks took their first lead of the second half thanks to two 3-pointers by Lamb. FLC took a 54-53 lead into the fourth quarter.
Lamb took control of the game to start the fourth quarter. She continued to be hot from beyond the arc to start the fourth with two 3-pointers. She has the best-looking shot on the Skyhawks with a quick and compact shot. Lamb also made a great play on the defensive end for a steal. Her second 3-pointer gave FLC a 60-57 lead with 6:45 left.
“It's no surprise for us,” Zuniga said about Lamb. “We've been waiting for her to have her moment so it’s definitely not a surprise at all for us. She's somebody who has been getting more minutes and that's because she practices like this every day.”
Guanella had three great drives and finishes to put FLC up three late in the fourth. She knows how to use her body to shield the ball from defenders and finish better than most Skyhawks.
“I don't think we win without her in the game,” Zuniga said about Guanella.
The Roadrunners hung around until a critical turnover by Mariana Silva Pereira. She dribbled into a double team, Lamb stole the ball and fed Ryan who scored on a fast break layup to put FLC 70-64 with 42 seconds left.
FLC plays at home against Regis on Saturday at 1 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
