Coming out of a three-week break from game action can be tough, and the Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team proved that point in its 78-61 home loss to Western Colorado on Thursday night.
The Skyhawks struggled on the offensive and defensive side of the ball coming out of Christmas break. FLC stayed in the game in the first three quarters thanks to forcing a lot of turnovers.
However, Western Colorado pulled away in the fourth quarter by making its 3-pointers and getting to the free-throw line. FLC missed some defensive assignments and couldn’t stop fouling; six players had three of more fouls for the Skyhawks.
FLC struggled all night to shoot. Whether it was foul shooting, finishing inside the paint or from beyond the 3-point arc, it was a poor display of offense to start 2026 and stopped any chance FLC had of making it a game in the fourth.
“We have super high expectations,” FLC head coach Lauren Zuniga said. “When it becomes game time, that should be your opportunity to showcase everything that we've been working on. Especially defensively, because that's what we really take pride in. We just didn't do that tonight. We were just one step behind.”
FLC dropped to 9-4 overall and 2-3 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play after it shot 35% from the field, 18% from 3-point range and 50% from the free-throw line.
Free throws have been an issue for FLC; the Skyhawks are ranked last in the conference in free-throw percentage. Zuniga doesn’t know why her team is struggling so much. They shoot a lot of free throws in practice and they make them. She hopes the work in practice will show up in games soon.
Skyhawks sophomore guard Katie Lamb led the team with 11 points on 4-11 shooting from the field, 2-7 from 3-point range, 1-1 from the free-throw line and seven rebounds.
Western Colorado improved to 6-5 overall and 4-1 in the RMAC after it shot 40% from the field 44% from 3-point range and 74% from the free-throw line. The Mountaineers went to the free-throw line 38 times, compared to only 18 for FLC.
Ivey Schmidt, the RMAC’s leading scorer before the game, led the Mountaineers with 25 points on 5-13 shooting from the field, 4-4 from 3-point range, 11-12 from the free-throw line and eight rebounds.
Western Colorado couldn’t have a more efficient start, leading the Skyhawks 19-13 with two minutes left in the first quarter after starting the game 6-9 from the field, 2-3 from 3-point range and 5-6 from the free-throw line. The Mountaineers led 19-15 after the first quarter.
The Skyhawks struggled with possession early in the second quarter, losing the ball on drives, getting stripped and throwing bad passes. Western Colorado increased its lead at the free-throw line and at the rim. Two easy drives to the rim by the Mountaineers gave them a 28-19 lead with 5:30 left.
FLC crept back into the game with some strong drives. Lamb got going and found her touch on her jump shot, which cut Western Colorado’s lead to 33-28 with 1:31 left. But a tough inside bucket by Addison Harding, plus the foul, gave the Mountaineers a 36-28 lead at the half.
It was a better start on the defensive end for FLC, allowing the Skyhawks to get back into the game. A layup by freshman Alemanualii Fonoti cut the Western Colorado lead to 39-35 with 6:41 left in the third.
However, Western Colorado had the counterpunch, like it had the entire night. The Mountaineers did a great job getting into the paint and drawing fouls. Schmidt, specifically, was great at drawing fouls by contorting her body to create contact and get the whistle. She had 15 points as the Skyhawks trailed 50-37 with 3:36 left in the third.
“We knew how good she was, and I knew she was going to get shots off … but she shot above her average, which is the complete opposite of what you want,” Zuniga said about Schmidt. “I liked what we were forcing her into, and then she just does a phenomenal job of really getting into you, making you come off your feet. We were really undisciplined.”
FLC ended the third quarter strongly thanks to freshman guard Josie Davis. Her hustle led to offensive rebounds and extra chances for the Skyhawks. She also forced multiple turnovers in the final three minutes, including the final turnover of the quarter, which led to a Guanella buzzer-beating layup to cut the deficit to 53-45. It’s easy to see why Davis is trusted by Zuniga as a freshman.
The start of the fourth quarter was a struggle for the Skyhawks. Junior Makaya Porter was called for back-to-back charges, and Western Colorado was finding open shooters and hitting those 3-pointers. On the other hand, the Skyhawks couldn’t hit a 3-pointer if their spot on the team depended on it. FLC also couldn’t stop fouling and Western Colorado opened up its lead the rest of the quarter.
“A few of them we could have done without, mostly because of the way the refs were calling the game,” Zuniga said about the 3-pointers. “If we would have gone inside, who knows? Maybe we would have had 38 freaking free throws. But I didn't hate them … at some point, it will hopefully show up for us.”
FLC stays at home to play Westminster on Saturday at 1 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
