Jason Flores had a tough task Friday, as he toed a delicate balance between knocking off rust and getting starters rest before a pivotal showdown Saturday. He was able to do both in fine fashion.
No. 15 Fort Lewis College women’s basketball opened on a 7-0 run, got out to a 22-5 lead and never gave Chadron State hope in a 86-48 win Friday afternoon at Whalen Gymnasium in Durango.
“I’m just glad we got to the point of being able to have everyone be in the game and not go high on minutes,” Flores said. “I was really hoping, in a perfect world, to get about 20 minutes for a lot of players, and that’s exactly what happened.”
FLC’s starters checked out with 7 minutes, 8 second to play in the fourth quarter with a 69-38 lead. After a shaky shooting start, prized freshman Vivian Gray finished with 22 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots in 21 minutes of action.
“I do feel more fresh,” Gray said of coming off the break. “It’s good to get rest, get healed up. A lot of us had injuries. Taking that week off helped us heal and come back ready to play.”
It was the Skyhawks’ first game back from a NCAA mandated break between Dec. 20-26. FLC (12-1, 6-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) had only two days of practice to prepare for the Eagles (3-10, 1-6 RMAC). Regis (5-6, 4-2 RMAC), which did not have to play Friday, will come in fresh for a big showdown at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, so resting players and getting ready for the Rangers was key for FLC. It was the reason the Skyhawks moved the game time up two and a half hours before the usual tipoff time.
“It gives us time,” Flores said. “We can go to bed early, hopefully, sleep in a bit tomorrow, recharge and get ready for what’s probably going to be a great game tomorrow.”
FLC senior guard Astrea Reed didn’t get much time because of foul trouble. Still, she finished with eight points in 11 minutes played, including the team’s first five points of the game on a 3-pointer and a fastbreak layup.
When Reed checked out, Kayla Herrera stepped up in a big way on both ends of the floor. She finished with 11 points, all in the first half, and six steals to go with three assists.
“Just play hard, stick to our principles, help side, getting to the ball,” Herrera said of her defensive focus. “It’s just fun to get those steals. Intensity and hard work. When we run out in transition, it just pulls the defense out, and we have open looks all the time. If we do that consistently 100 percent every game, it will be awesome.”
As a team, the Skyhawks forced 23 turnovers and turned those into 28 points. FLC dominated the paint by outscoring Chadron State 36-12 inside.
FLC only turned the ball over 12 times and shot 45.2 percent for the game and made 12-of-13 free throws. The Skyhawks assisted on 24 of 33 made baskets.
“I have to go back and look, but I think we had more than 24. We had 16 at the half,” Flores said of the assist total. “The way we’re sharing it, leading the conference in assists, it speaks volumes. Slowly but surely, we’ve got to a place where we’re all bought in and playing with each other.
“Those stats don’t lie. You can’t have these kind of assist games and lead the conference in assists unless players are bought in and doing that and sharing. It makes us a lot more dangerous than a 10-assist team, completely one-on-one. It’s the strength of us right now.”
