The Fort Lewis women’s basketball team had no answer for the Regis offense on Saturday afternoon inside Whalen Gymnasium at FLC. The Rangers moved the ball at will against the Skyhawks’ zone defense in the first half and FLC’s man-to-man defense in the second half. When Regis didn’t make its open 3-point shot, its forwards crashed the glass.
Regis opened up the second half on a 14-0 run and FLC could never recover. Regis made 13 3-pointers and won 76-65.
“Credit to Regis, they're on the road and they came out really ready to play with a lot of energy,” FLC head coach Lauren Zuniga said. “Our energy was mediocre. So when you don't have that energy and that grit to you, it's really hard to win games.”
FLC fell to 3-5 overall and 1-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference after it shot 42% from the field, 31% from 3-point range and 71% from the free-throw line in the loss.
Junior guard Deniece Ryan led FLC with 15 points on 6-10 shooting overall, 1-2 from 3-point range and 2-2 from the free-throw line. Senior guard Livia Knapp was the other Skyhawk in double figures with 13 points on 5-12 shooting overall, 0-2 from the 3-point line, 3-4 from the free-throw line.
Regis improved to 4-4 overall and 2-0 in the RMAC after it shot 44% from the field, 42% from 3-point range and 38% from the free-throw line.
Athena Saragoza led Regis with 20 points on 7-15 shooting overall and 6-11 from downtown. Erin Fry had 18 points on 6-10 shooting overall, 4-8 from 3-point range, 2-4 from the free-throw line, 12 assists and six rebounds for the Rangers.
Regis had 21 assists compared to only six for FLC.
FLC’s guards were responsible for its scoring throughout most of the first quarter. The Skyhawks’ ball handlers showed versatility with their scoring coming from all three levels. Regis found success inside against FLC’s zone with multiple layups coming at the end of the quarter. Regis led 19-17 after the first quarter.
Sophomore guard Natalie Guanella earned more minutes after her impressive performance against MSU Denver. She continued to drive hard to the basket and either finished or drew fouls.
FLC had a stretch where it struggled to get back on defense. Regis had a fast break layup and the Rangers even had an open transition 3-pointer off a made FLC basket to make it 30-23 with five minutes left.
Regis had trouble stopping the speed and penetration of Ryan. She finished the first half with 11 points.
FLC ended the half with a little bit of luck. Knapp put up a desperation 3-pointer as time expired in the first half. A Regis defender had a terrible closeout and fouled Knapp as time expired. She made two of her free throws to cut Regis’ advantage to 37-34 at halftime.
“That first half was pretty good,” Zuniga said. “We played with pretty good pace. We got downhill. We got to the free-throw line as well.”
Regis was feasting inside on post-ups to start the third. Fiona Snashall used her size finish inside easily and put Regis up 45-34 with 6:20 to go in the third.
The Skyhawks struggled on offense to establish any post touches or paint touches. Senior forward Eva Kingston tried to create on her own, but her shots weren’t falling. Freshman guard Katie Lamb didn’t have the same hot hand as she did on Thursday against MSU Denver. Regis hit back-to-back 3-pointers to go up 51-34 with 4:48 to go in the third, forcing Zuniga to call a timeout. Regis started the second half on a 14-0 run.
“Understanding assignment scouts, how we’re guarding certain sets, that's a big piece to it,” Zuniga said about the defensive lapses. “Fatigue kind of became a factor. We lost sight of what we were trying to accomplish.”
Regis took a 62-47 lead into the fourth quarter after some strong 3-point shooting. Fry made a rainbow 3-pointer from about 30 feet at the buzzer.
FLC had no answer for Snashall on the offensive glass. She created multiple second chances for the Rangers with great positioning inside. Open 3-point shooters to continue to grow the Regis lead.
The Skyhawks made a run at the end of the fourth as their defense tightened up but could never get close enough to challenge Regis.
FLC plays on Tuesday at home against New Mexico Highlands at 5:30 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
