The Fort Lewis College women’s basketball didn’t make the postseason after a poor season in head coach Lauren Zuniga’s first year. Therefore, it’s no surprise the Skyhawks didn’t rank very well in key statistical categories in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
FLC went 6-22 overall and finished last in the RMAC at 3-17 in conference play. Its season ended on March 1 and now all RMAC women’s teams have completed their seasons. There’s no time like the present to look at where the Skyhawks finished in key statistical categories in the RMAC. All stats are from RMAC teams’ entire seasons, not just conference play.
Points scored:
The Skyhawks finished 12th out of 15 teams in the conference, scoring 63.6 points per game. Colorado Mesa led the conference with 70.5 PPG and Westminster was last at 56.1 PPG.
FLC never found any consistency on the offense end this season. The Skyhawks struggled to execute Zuniga’s offense. Turnovers were common and FLC struggled to hit shots.
The Skyhawks scored less than 50 points four times this season and scored less than 70 points in 18 out of 28 games.
Most of FLC’s transfers didn’t have the offensive efficiency needed to put the Skyhawks over the top.
There were some bright spots to build if these players return next year. Junior guard Deniece Ryan shot an efficient 45% from the field. Freshman guard Katie Lamb showed a smooth stroke from outside and an ability to finish inside.
Zuniga will certainly need reinforcements from the transfer portal and high school to get the Skyhawks out of the bottom of the RMAC in scoring.
Points allowed:
FLC finished 11th in points allowed in the conference at 69 PPG. Colorado Mesa led the conference with 56.5 PPG allowed and Chadron State was last at 74.1 PPG.
The Skyhawks were involved in some lower-scoring games but had some blowout losses that hurt their average.
Adams State beat FLC 79-60 and 79-49. Colorado Mesa beat FLC 75-48 early in the season. The Skyhawks allowed 70+ points in 15 out of 28 games.
FLC had some good athletes on its roster but didn’t have a lot of size. The top forwards in the conference dominated the Skyhawks’ defense.
Some added size and athleticism help any team. However, FLC may need it more than most next season.
Field goal percentage:
The Skyhawks finished seventh in the conference with a 39.5% field goal percentage. Colorado Mesa led the conference at 43.7% and Westminster was last 35.9%.
FLC struggled with efficiency throughout the season as the new team came together under a new coach. The Skyhawks shot above 50% against two Division II schools and shot below 40% in 17 out of 28 games.
One of FLC’s problems was that its guards were more efficient than post players, which is counterintuitive because forwards are usually bigger and closer to the basket.
Sophomore guard Natalie Guanella shot 46% from the field along with Ryan’s strong shooting. But senior forward Darla Hernandez struggled to be consistently efficient, finishing her season shooting 40% from the field as the Skyhawks’ primary post option. Senior reserve forward Eva Kingston was worse, shooting only 33% from the field.
Hernandez and Kingston relied on their jump shots a lot as they were almost always smaller than the forwards they were playing against.
FLC fans must hope that the team will be more efficient in the second year under Zuniga with a revamped roster.
Three-point percentage:
FLC finished eighth in 3-point percentage in the RMAC, shooting 29.6%. Colorado Mesa led the conference at 33% and MSU Denver was last at 26%.
Throughout the season, the Skyhawks got a good amount of solid looks from beyond the 3-point arc but they couldn’t knock them down. Zuniga repeatedly said throughout the season that she was happy with her team’s shot selection.
However, there were plenty of instances where FLC was down late in games and had to force some contested 3-pointers. Or the Skyhawks were in a funk offensively and started settling for 3-pointers.
The Skyhawks shot at least 40% from downtown in five games this year. FLC shot below 30% 15 times.
FLC will lose its top 3-pointer shooter in senior Livia Knapp (39%), but Lamb has the option to return after shooting 34% from downtown on high volume as a freshman.
A name to watch next year that could help the Skyhawks’ shooting is Kayde Strauss if she decides to return.
The coaching staff really liked her shooting ability but the junior only played in four games due to injury.
Free-throw shooting:
One of FLC’s better statistics was free-throw shooting. The Skyhawks finished sixth in the conference at 73.4%. Colorado Christian led the conference at 82.2% and UCCS was last at 67.7%.
Hernandez showed the potential of her shooting stroke, shooting an incredible 91% from the free-throw line on about two attempts a game. Lamb also shot it very well at 85%.
Strong free-throw shooting usually correlates to strong 3-point shooting but not for FLC this year.
If FLC improves next year, its strong free-throw shooting could help it close out close games.
Rebounding margin:
The Skyhawks finished 12th in the conference in rebounding margin at -3.9 rebounds per game. Western Colorado led the conference at +8.2 and Adams State was last at -7.4
Looking at the roster in the preseason, this problem could’ve been forecast with FLC’s lack of size. It had small guards in Ryan and Knapp. Hernandez and Kingston are 5-foot-10-inches and are the tallest rotation players.
Two of FLC’s taller players to start the season left the team in 6-foot-1-inch forwards Kate Gallery and Sydney Bevington.
Hernandez did a great job of handling a lot of the rebounding for FLC with great fight and positioning. However, she didn’t have a lot of help with Lamb as the team’s second-best rebounder at 3.8 RPG.
Turnover margin:
FLC finished the season eighth in the RMAC at a +0.29 turnover margin. Adams State led the team at +6.71 and Chadron State was last at -5.54.
The Skyhawks did a great job of turning teams over with their quick and active guards and forwards. FLC was fourth in the league in forced turnovers but was also fourth in turnovers.
FLC had too many unforced turnovers and will have to improve in this category next season if it wants to be more competitive.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
