by DENVER, Colo. – Kayla Herrera (Chippewa) paced the Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Sydney Candelaria and Alyssa Yocky combined for 17 points. Despite those strong numbers, MSU Denver utilized big games from Jaelynn Smith, Emily Hartegan and Bree Wellington to pick up the 78-61 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory Friday night at the Auraria Event Center.
Following Herrera’s solid game, Candelaria tallied nine points and Yocky added eight, but the trio of Smith, Hartegan and Wellington combined for 63 points to lead MSU Denver (4-8, 3-3 RMAC) with Smith leading the way with 25 points and Hartegan adding 21.
It was a slow start to the game for FLC (6-6, 2-4 RMAC) as MSU Denver scored the first 12 points of the game before a Jordan Carter jumper just over seven minutes in got the Skyhawks on the board. Carter and Herrera would add baskets over the final few minutes of the opening quarter to leave the Roadrunners with the 16-6 lead.
FLC came out firing to start the second quarter with Aubre Fortner converting a layup and then Herrera drilling a three-pointer off an assist by Yocky to trim the deficit to five. After MSU Denver pushed the lead back to 12, Alyssa Adams took over scoring five straight points, first with a three-pointer off an assist by Candelaria and then on a layup leaving MSU Denver with a 30-23 lead with three minutes to play before halftime.
The Roadrunners controlled play the rest of the half, outscoring the Skyhawks by five to hold a 36-24 lead at the break.
MSU Denver jumped the lead as high as 17 in the third quarter, but FLC came charging back, getting to within 10 late in the quarter on a jumper by Herrera. Tanisha Begay (Navajo) later added a three-pointer before the Roadrunners hit a pair from the foul line for a 58-45 lead entering the final quarter.
After falling behind by 17 early in the fourth, the Skyhawks made a push midway through the quarter to get right back into the game. Candelaria converted a layup and was also fouled on the play and added the free throw. Yocky then took a pass from Candelaria and laid it in for two before Herrera closed the 7-0 run with a layup off a pass from Carter that all-of-a-sudden had the Skyhawks within eight at 68-60 with 2:47 to play.
MSU Denver regrouped and went on an 8-0 run over the next two minutes to put the game out of reach.
FC went 25-69 (36) from the field, 7-22 (32) from three and 4-9 (44) from the foul line, while committing just eight turnovers. The Skyhawks held a 10-8 points off turnovers advantage, were even in second-chance points (10-10), held a 22-20 edge in bench points and also led in fastbreak points (10-4). MSU Denver held a 36-30 advantage on points in the paint.
MSU Denver shot 47 percent (27-57) from the field, struggled from three going just 1-12 (8), but took advantage at the foul line making 23-26 (89).
