A common theme was apparent for second straight night: Don’t count out the Fort Lewis women’s basketball team until the final buzzer.
After trailing by as many as 16 points midway through the second quarter, the Skyhawks’ defense shut down CSU Pueblo in the second half, allowing only 23 points en route to a 65-59 comeback victory Saturday at Whalen Gymnasium.
“It was an amazing win,” associate head coach Kylie Lorenzen said. “I have no voice because I’ve been screaming the whole day. But when we only turn the ball over eight times, force 26 turnovers, three of our girls get into double digits and we come back from a 12-point halftime deficit is the definition of not giving up.”
The Skyhawks improved to 6-4 overall and 3-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Fort Lewis shot 40% from the field, 21% from 3-point range and 63% from the free-throw line.
CSU Pueblo fell to 5-6 overall and 1-3 in the RMAC. The ThunderWolves shot 33% from the field and 16% from beyond the 3-point arc.
Senior forward Kelsey Sorenson led Fort Lewis with 14 points on 5 of 9 shooting from the field and 4 of 9 shooting from the free-throw line. Sophomore guard Lanae Billy had 11 points on 4 of 13 shooting from the field and eight steals.
Junior forward Samantha Wattawa had 11 points on 4 of 9 shooting from the field and 1 of 3 shooting from 3-point range.
Leilani Love led the ThunderWolves with 16 points on 6 of 10 shooting and 10 rebounds, while Yara Garcia had 13 points on 4 of 6 shooting.
Fort Lewis won on Saturday despite being out-rebounded 52-24 by the ThunderWolves.
“In a zone, we know we’re sometimes get out-rebounded just because position-wise,” Lorenzen said. “Our focus was to try and hit bodies and get them frustrated, so when the ball goes up, hitting the body and they’re out of position.”
Fort Lewis struggled to stop the ThunderWolves in the first quarter, as CSU Pueblo led 23-15 after shooting 58% from the field. In the second quarter, the Skyhawks defense was strong, but the offense struggled and only scored nine points. Fort Lewis trailed 36-24 at halftime after not making a single 3-pointer in the first half.
The second half started on a positive note with two steals by Billy. Those two steals resulted in a layup for Billy and a trip to the free-throw line for Sorenson.
“Lanae’s hands are crazy, they’re sticky fingers,” Lorenzen said.
Sorenson missed the second of those two free throws, but the Skyhawks got the board and the ball ended up in Sorenson’s hands for a layup to cut the lead to 36-29.
Fort Lewis had a different energy to start the third. Misner hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 38-34. The Skyhawks then forced another turnover.
CSU Pueblo’s offense looked disjointed, working the ball around the perimeter and shooting two air balls from 3-point range, then turning it over against the Skyhawks’ 2-3 zone.
CSU Pueblo soon found its footing with a 3-pointer, and it used its size advantage inside to score five quick points to increase its lead to 43-34 before Skyhawks coach Taylor Harris called a timeout with 3:45 left in the third.
Good ball movement led to a corner 3-pointer by Evans and a Wattawa 3-pointer to keep the Skyhawks in striking distance. Cervantes then drove to the hoop to make it 45-44 with 1:36 to go in the third.
Love imposed her strength and size at the end of the quarter with a nice midrange jumper and a block on the defensive end.
Sorenson struggled to finish against Love and missed two late layups, but Sorenson hit a buzzer-beating layup to cut CSU Pueblo’s lead to 49-46 entering the fourth.
Fort Lewis took its first lead of the second half with a nice jump shot by Wattawa, but Love got to the free-throw line to tie the game at 50-50 with 8:05 to go.
Billy then had her seventh steal of the night, resulting in a layup to give the Skyhawks the 52-50 lead. A Gallery corner 3-pointer lit up the gym as Fort Lewis took a 57-52 lead with 3:36 to go.
Billy was then fouled, made a free throw, then had another steal and layup to give Fort Lewis a 60-53 lead with 2:28 left.
CSU Pueblo made two inside baskets, but Wattawa hit a clutch 15-foot jumper after another nice pump fake, which got her defender in the air, putting Fort Lewis up 62-57 with a minute left.
Gallery’s length sealed the win, as she blocked a jump shot with 30 seconds left up four.
Fort Lewis will host Westminister University on Dec. 16.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
