Last season, the Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team only won six games, and this season, it took the Skyhawks less than a month to pass that total.
It was a comeback effort for the women at home against New Mexico Highlands on Tuesday night as FLC remained undefeated at home with its 74-71 win over the Cowgirls.
FLC was down by 11 points at the half and trailed by 11 early in the fourth quarter, before outscoring New Mexico Highlands 25-12 in the fourth for the comeback victory. The Skyhawks have been tested in close games so far this season, going 3-0 in one-score games.
“This is the most cliché thing, but we just found a way,” FLC women’s basketball head coach Lauren Zuniga said. “If you look at the stats, pretty much everything was identical, and we just had a really great fourth quarter … We got stops when you need to have stops, and we made shots when we needed to make shots. It was a perseverance win.”
FLC improved to 7-2 overall and 2-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference after it shot 46% from the field, 23% from 3-point range and 69% from the free-throw line.
Freshman guard Josie Davis led the Skyhawks with 17 points on 6-7 shooting from the field, 0-1 from 3-point range, 5-7 from the free-throw line and a team-high six rebounds. Sophomore guard Katie Lamb added 15 points on 4-12 shooting from the field, 2-6 from 3-point range and 5-5 from the free-throw line. Five Skyhawks finished in double figures.
Zuniga complimented Davis for coming into her own in the offense by feeling more comfortable and confident. She uses her athleticism to get to the free-throw line and her length on the defensive end.
“She gets a lot of her points in transition, turning her defense and offense,” Zuniga said about Davis. “She is a really efficient driver, and she's super disciplined. She comes to two feet, she finishes through contact, she creates contact and goes to the free-throw line. She does a great job finding those good shots.”
New Mexico Highlands dropped to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in the RMAC after it shot 46% from the field, 23% from 3-point range and 70% from the free-throw line. Former Farmington High School star Kapiolani Anitielu led the Cowgirls with 24 points on 8-23 shooting from the field, 1-8 from 3-point range and 7-8 from the free-throw line.
The Cowgirls jumped out to a 16-12 lead after the first quarter and led 41-30 at halftime after a 3-pointer by Anitelu at the buzzer. Zuniga said New Mexico Highlands was doing a better job rebounding in the first half and got some second-chance opportunities. The Skyhawks also turned the ball over, dealing with the Cowgirls’ press in the first half, and cleaned that up in the second, according to Zuniga.
FLC cut into the lead in the third quarter and tied the game at 45 with 4:38 left in the quarter with a layup by sophomore guard Claudia Palacio Gámez. However, New Mexico Highlands responded with a 14-4 run to end the quarter and lead 59-49 heading into the fourth.
Then, Lamb showed up to the party. She scored 13 of her 15 points in the last 7:30 of the game, including back-to-back 3-pointers to give FLC a 73-67 lead with two minutes left. A Davis free throw with 10 seconds left sealed the game.
“She got going when we needed her to, which is great,” Zuniga said about Lamb. “She created for herself by getting to the free-throw line, and then we drew up a couple plays for her to hit those big back-to-back threes.”
FLC will play Adams State at home on Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Skyhawks men’s basketball team was off to another slow start on Tuesday night at home against New Mexico Highlands, and it looked like FLC was heading toward another disappointing loss.
But FLC found its mojo in the second half by scoring 63 points, and the Skyhawks soared to an 88-80 win after being down 15 points in the first half.
“We came out, and we weren't bad, we just weren't aggressive …” FLC men’s basketball head coach Jordan Mast said. “We just didn't have the energy and effort required to play our style effectively in the first half … So at halftime, it was … if we're going to play our pressure style, and get out and play in the open floor, we have to play with incredible effort, or it just doesn't work. To the guys’ credit, they responded.”
FLC improved to 4-4 overall and 3-0 in the RMAC after it shot 42% from the field, 28% from the 3-point line and 86% from the free-throw line.
Redshirt sophomore guard Jaxon Smith led the Skyhawks with 22 points on 5-11 shooting from the field, 4-9 from 3-point range and 8-8 from the free-throw line. Redshirt sophomore guard Stewart Erhart added 19 points on 6-16 shooting from the field, 3-7 from 3-point range, 4-4 from the free-throw line and a team-high seven steals.
“Our ball movement was a lot better,” Mast said. “Teams are starting to figure out that he's (Smith) a pretty good shooter, so they're keying on him. He took some good shots in the first half, he just missed them. With him, it's not necessarily going to be a set, because a lot of teams scout. It's going to be, can we move the ball, get them moving, and we did that well.”
New Mexico Highlands dropped to 1-9 overall and 1-2 in the RMAC after it shot 49% from the field, 20% from 3-point range and 66% from the free-throw line. Dontae Walker led the Cowboys with 23 points off the bench on 8-13 shooting from the field, 0-1 from 3-point range and 7-11 from the free-throw line.
In the first half, the Cowboys outscored the Skyhawks in the paint, which was a big emphasis for Mast coming into the game. New Mexico Highlands also outrebounded FLC and had fewer turnovers in the first half. The Cowboys led 38-25 at the half.
The Skyhawks started the second half on a 12-0 run to cut the deficit to 38-37 with 17:49 left. FLC took its first lead of the second half with a free throw from junior point guard Yorgio Golesis to make it 44-43 with 16:06 left.
FLC’s lead never got above five points in the middle of the second half until back-to-back 3-pointers by Smith and Erhart gave the Skyhawks a 75-67 lead. Mast said the key was getting a stop because the teams were trading baskets in the middle of the second half.
Mast was happy with how his team moved the ball, and therefore got good team shots in the second half. The Skyhawks also lived at the free-throw line, going 21-23 in the second half from the charity stripe.
FLC plays at home against Adams State on Saturday at 3 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
