by Angela Roberts
LAS VEGAS, N.M. – Led by double-digit outings from a trio of newcomers, the Skyhawks women’s basketball team captured its first win of the season over Western New Mexico University, 66-57. Fort Lewis closed out the RMAC/Lone Star Conference Challenge with a 1-1 record.
“I’m happy with the whole team effort tonight. We made a big emphasis on coming closer together tonight, and we did just that,” said head coach Taylor Harris.
Fort Lewis shot 40 percent (22-of-55) from the field compared to a 36.4 percent (16-of-44) clip for WNMU. Both teams dropped in five shots from beyond the arc and combined for 37 free throws. The Skyhawks benefited from 18 steals—most since a 20-steal outing versus Northern New Mexico in 2019.
Freshman Lanae Billy (Navajo) led all players with 17 points to go along with four rebounds and four steals. Sophomore Avery Evans followed with 13 points and four steals. Senior Kaitlyn Bell rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Skyhawks at 12 points, grabbing six rebounds along the way. Senior Kelsey Sorenson contributed nine points and a team-best seven rebounds in 17 minutes of play.
“We saw a big game from Avery (Evans) and Kaitlyn (Bell), and overall I’m proud of our entire team’s effort,” said Harris. “We were resilient against a tough and well-coached team that had a great game plan for us. I’m proud of how we stuck together.”
After early back-and-forth defense, Sorenson cut the WNMU lead in half at the charity stripe to make it 6-3 with six minutes on the clock. Evans and Billy combined for a pair of scores out of a break to pull the Skyhawks within one at 8-7. The scoring trend continued for Fort Lewis with a free throw from Misner giving her team the 9-8 edge. The score knotted up at 10’s and 12’s to close out the opening quarter of closely contested basketball.
The teams would see another tied score at 14-14 thanks to a layup from Evans one minute into the second quarter. Sophomore Sadie Misner took over from there by scoring four points to give her team a 19-15 advantage. The good times continued to roll for the Skyhawks as the lead extended to nine points on a pair of jumpers by Bell, seeing the score at 23-19 with 5:50 on the clock. The Mustangs chipped in three points on the following possession, but back-to-back threes by senior Brooke McGee and Evans had Fort Lewis ahead 29-17. WNMU had two more points down the stretch to see the score at 29-19 heading into the break.
The Mustangs opened the second half of play with a quick three to make it a 29-22 game. WNMU scored on its following possession, but Billy knocked down a corner three to build the lead back to eight points. The Fort Lewis lead dwindled to just four points thanks to a corner three for the Mustangs, but Sorenson responded with two points to bring the score to 38-32. Billy scored the final points of the third quarter to make it a 46-40 score with 10 minutes to play.
The Skyhawks jumped out on a 12-1 scoring run in the fourth to see a 17-point advantage with six minutes on the clock. WNMU spent the majority of the quarter from the charity stripe, making eight through the final minutes to play to pull within seven. The late pressure was wiped away as another layup by Evans stood at the final bucket in a 66-57 Skyhawks win.
