Missing three starters in the lineup, the No. 22 Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team came up short in a season-opening exhibition at the University of New Mexico.
The NCAA Division I New Mexico Lobos beat the Division II Skyhawks 84-68 on Sunday in Albuquerque.
FLC freshman Vivian Gray, one of the top recruits in the country, scored 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting in her FLC debut. Gray also had nine rebounds and two assists.
But FLC was without Briana Clah. Kelsey Wainwright and Alyssa Yocky to open the season. FLC head coach Jason Flores hopes to have Clah and Wainwright back soon, while Yocky won’t be ready until at least late December.
“We really missed Alyssa, Briana and Kelsey today,” Flores said. “We got sped up too much and didn’t play nearly as well as we did Friday in our closed scrimmage at New Mexico State. Without those three, we had a lot of inexperience on the floor, but it was great for them to get experience in a high-pressure environment.”
FLC shot a steady 41.2 percent from the floor and went 7-of-12 from the free-throw line. Sydney Candelaria dropped nine points off the bench on 4-of-8 shooting. Astrea Reed, in her first game back since sitting out all of last season, scored eight points. Olivia Gray added another eight for the Skyhawks to complement her younger sister’s 17.
It was a tough offensive day for Kayla Herrera, who went 3-of-15 shooting. But Herrera pulled in nine rebounds to help the FLC women haul in 46 rebounds as a team compared to 43 for the Lobos.
New Mexico was led by the 14 points from both Tesha Buck and Alex Lapeyrolerie. Four Lobos finished in double-figure scoring, and the team shot 39.1 percent for the game. Antonia Anderson led the Lobos with 10 rebounds. Jaisa Nunn had 10 points and six rebounds.
FLC will open its regular season at home at 11 a.m. Friday against Texas-Permian Basin. The Skyhawks will then host Eastern New Mexico at 7 p.m. Saturday.
“We can’t wait to get into practice and prepare for the regular season coming up,” Flores said.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
