by By Angela Roberts
GUNNISON, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team earned its fourth straight win on Friday night in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener versus Western Colorado University, pulling away in the second half en route to a 68-47 final.
It is the first RMAC-opening win in the head coach Taylor Harris era. Fort Lewis improved to 4-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play while Western Colorado dropped to 1-5, 0-2 RMAC.
Fort Lewis earned a season-best field goal percentage of 48.9 (23-of-47) to go along with a 55.6 percent (5-of-9) mark from three. The Skyhawks connected on 17 free throws. Western Colorado was limited to a field goal percentage of 33.3 (16-of-48) and shot just 19.2 percent (5-of-26) from three. The Mountaineers held a 32-28 edge in rebounds.
Sophomore Lanae Billy led all players with 19 points (6-of-12 FG, 3-of-3 3PT), followed by redshirt junior Lilly Pepper who contributed a season-high 14 points. The duo of junior Avery Evans and sophomore Kate Gallery also reached double figures at 11 and 10 points apiece, respectively. Junior Sydney Bevington led the team with five rebounds, followed by three players who came away with four.
It was a defensive show early in the game as a layup from Evans saw the Skyhawks down 5-2. Midway through the quarter, Billy drew a foul and drained a pair of free throws to pull the Skyhawks within one. The Mountaineers responded with a three-pointer to extend the lead as the teams headed into a timeout. It would be Wattawa who broke through to give Fort Lewis its first tied score of the afternoon, driving for a layup to see an 8-8 score with 2:20 remaining. Western Colorado came back with a five-point run, capped off with a deep three, to take a 13-8 lead into the second quarter.
Pepper opened the second with her first bucket of the afternoon to trim the lead, and Gallery followed suit with a jumper to see the score at 16-12. Shots continued falling for both teams, and sophomore Luisa Chavez drained a three to see a one-point deficit with six minutes on the clock. The teams played close for two minutes before Pepper and Evans combined to take a 22-20 lead. Western Colorado managed to stay within striking distance, but Fort Lewis forged ahead and closed out the half by scoring four straight to carry a 29-24 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, Evans brought the lead to seven points before a layup by the Mountaineers got the home team on the board. Western Colorado worked to pull within three thanks to back-to-back threes, but Billy immediately responded with one of her own to make it 38-32 with under four minutes on the clock. Billy notched another quick three out of a break in action, and Wattawa quickly followed with a steal and jumper to extend the lead to 43-33. The final minute of the third quarter saw scores from Billy and the Mountaineer’s leading scorer, Rachel Cockman, as the Skyhawks led 48-37 at the buzzer.
The Fort Lewis lead grew to 14 points after a minute of play in the final quarter thanks to three points from Gallery. Billy’s dominant second half continued with a deep three, bringing the sophomore’s point total to 19 as the Skyhawks led 55-39 with 7:36 to play. Western Colorado battled back with four points to cut into the lead, but Pepper found success at the charity stripe to maintain a 14-point edge. Pepper earned a season-high moments later, draining a pair of free throws to bring her total to 14 points with the score at 65-43. The final minutes were made up of free throws and a late jumper as the clock expired on a dominant 68-47 win.
