by By Angela Roberts
DENVER – The Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team led for 28 minutes in Saturday’s conference matchup against Regis University, but a fourth-quarter surge by the Rangers resulted in a 72-66 score in favor of the defending Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champions.
Fort Lewis dropped to 8-7 overall and 5-4 in conference play while Regis improved to 12-3 on the year and 7-2 in the league.
The teams were nearly equal from the field, Fort Lewis shooting 41.5 percent (22-of-53) compared to a 42.1 percent (24-of-57) clip for Regis. The Rangers held the Skyhawks to shooting just 18.2 percent from three. Regis outrebounded Fort Lewis at a 40-30 clip, but the Skyhawks capitalized on 22 points off of turnovers.
Sophomore Lanae Billy led the team with 21 points to go along with three assists, followed by sophomore Kate Gallery who recorded 16 points and six rebounds. Senior Kelsey Sorenson came away with 14 points and eight rebounds.
The teams were back and forth through the game’s opening two minutes, including four points from Gallery to make it 6-4 in favor of the Skyhawks. The Rangers responded beyond the arc to claim a 10-8 lead at the six-minute mark. Fort Lewis flexed its ability from deep as well, dialing shots in from Gallery and Billy to see a 16-13 advantage. The Skyhawks built on the lead with hit free throws to make it a five-point game with under two minutes to go in the first quarter. Regis dropped in a pair of free throws late to carry a 20-17 score into quarter two.
Fort Lewis held onto the lead through the first three minutes of the second quarter, fighting off a one-point game with another three by Gallery to make it 25-21. Gallery returned with a driving layup, followed by a pair from Sorenson and Billy to extend the lead to 31-23 with under five minutes on the clock. Out of a timeout, Regis roared to life with five points to make it a one-possession game again and force a timeout for Fort Lewis. The stoppage did well for the Skyhawks, and the team scored five straight points to go ahead 36-28. The final 90 seconds featured a slight uptick by the Rangers, but the Skyhawks held a 38-34 lead heading into the break.
Sorenson was the first to score in the third quarter, bringing her point total to nine in a 40-34 game. The Rangers found open looks over the next two minutes and made it a two-point game, 42-20, with 6:42 on the clock. The home team tied the score with a jumper, but Gallery quickly responded on the following possession to earn her team a 44-42 edge. Fort Lewis found some separation past the midway point of the quarter thanks to scores from three players to make it 49-42 with 3:10 remaining. The Rangers saw success late in the quarter, pulling within one on a pull-up jumper to send the teams into the final 10 minutes with a 49-48 score.
The Rangers earned their first lead since the sixth-minute mark of the first quarter on their opening possession in the final quarter, but Billy came back with two free throws to put her team back ahead. Regis answered with an 8-0 scoring run to see a 58-51 lead with 6:10 on the clock. Sorenson snapped the streak with a driving layup to put Fort Lewis within five points. From there, Rangers went on to see their largest lead of the contest, but another Sorenson layup cut the deficit to 62-55 with under three minutes remaining. The teams traded turns at the charity stripe as the clock hovered just above one minute and Fort Lewis trailed by seven points. Billy cut the gap to four points with a quick three out of a timeout, and Evans followed with a free throw to make it 66-63 with 57 seconds to go. The three-point difference carried into the final 20 seconds of play, but Regis was steady at the free-throw line to complete the comeback in a 72-66 final.
