by By Angela Roberts
SPEARFISH, S.D. – Playing their second overtime road contest in as many days, the Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team came up on the losing end of a 77-74 final against Black Hills State University in Saturday’s Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference showdown.
The narrow loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Skyhawks, moving their overall record to 8-5 and their league mark to 5-2. The Yellow Jackets improved to 7-4 on the year and 4-3 in conference play.
Fort Lewis shot 34.9 percent (22-of-63) from the field compared to a 40.6 percent (26-of-64) mark for BHSU. The Yellow Jackets struggled at the free throw line, boasting a 55.2 percent (16-of-29) versus an 80 percent (20-of-25) mark for the Skyhawks. BHSU edged out Fort Lewis in rebounds (50-33), but the Skyhawks forced 30 turnovers and converted for 31 points off said turnovers.
Sophomore Lanae Billy led all players and was one point shy of tying a career-high with 28 points to go along with four steals. Sophomore Kate Gallery followed with 15 points, and junior Sadie Misner rounded out double-digit scorers with 14 points. Junior Avery Evans led the team with six rebounds.
The Yellow Jackets nailed a corner three to begin the game, but both sides turned on the defense to hold the 3-0 score through the opening two minutes. Misner opened the scoring for Fort Lewis with a three-point play to tie the score, and the score would knot up again at five-all after a layup from Evans. The teams struggled with possession, trading turnovers through the opening five minutes, but the Skyhawks managed to maintain the tied score after a long three from Billy. Fort Lewis momentarily gained a lead at the charity stripe, but BHSU responded with back-to-back threes to go ahead 14-10 with under three minutes on the clock. Gallery got on the board just 54 seconds remaining, knocking down a three to see the score at 16-14—a margin that stood as the game headed to the second quarter.
The two-point difference didn’t last long, however, as the Yellow Jackets enjoyed a 7-0 scoring run to capture a 23-14 lead two minutes into the quarter. The home team continued to extend the lead to 13 points before another three from Billy led to a 28-18 score with 6:44 on the clock. The Skyhawks got to work trimming the lead with a pair of threes off the hand of Gallery as well as made free throws by Misner to see the score at 31-26. The scoring run extended to 11 points with a pass from freshman Trista Hoobler finding Misner in the corner for a good three-pointer. Billy capped off the run with a jumper to tie things up at 31-all before BHSU could convert on a layup. The score would become tied again late in the quarter, but junior Luisa Chavez got the last word with a sideline three to give Fort Lewis a 37-34 halftime lead.
Senior Kelsey Sorenson and Billy added four points out the break to extend the lead before a Yellow Jacket three-pointer got the home team in the scoring column. BHSU continued to chip away and eventually took a 45-43 lead with just over five minutes to go. Misner got the score back to a deadlock, and Hoobler got the lead back with a three-point play to make it 48-46 with 3:52 remaining. Then, the Yellow Jackets would force turnovers and block a pair of shots late in the quarter to gain a 54-50 lead with under one minute to play in the third. Evans scored with a pair of late free throws to make it a one-possession game heading into the final quarter.
The Skyhawks wasted no time tying the game, this time with a quick layup from Billy just 12 seconds into the fourth. Hoobler drove for a layup on the team’s following possession for a two-point edge, and Billy followed with another three-pointer to see the score at 59-54. The Yellow Jackets answered back with a 6-0 scoring run to reclaim the lead at 60-59 with 5:29 remaining. The home team extended the lead, but the Skyhawks chipped away with free throws to see the score at 64-62 with 2:37 on the clock. The Fort Lewis defense held the opposition scoreless and the offense eventually broke through with another three from Billy making it 65-64 in favor of the Skyhawks. Out of a timeout, BHSU converted on a three-pointer of their own to reclaim a lead with under one minute to go. Gallery countered with a game-tying layup to bring her point total to 13. The Yellow Jackets ran the shot clock down and fired a potential game-winner from deep, but the attempt rattled off the rim to send the contest to overtime.
Billy was the first to score in the five-minute overtime period, dropping in a layup to make it 69-67 after one minute of action. BHSU reclaimed the lead following a free throw and layup, but Billy made it a tied game from the free throw line. The teams were deadlocked again at 72-72 before two made free throws gave BHSU another edge. The Skyhawks saw a pair of players foul out, and BHSU took advantage at the charity stripe to go ahead by three points with under one minute to play. Billy made it a one-point game with two makes at the line, but the Yellow Jackets did the same thing on their ensuing possessions to make it 77-74 with 16 seconds remaining. The Skyhawks had two looks from three in the final seconds, but neither could fall as time expired.
