by Angela Roberts
SALT LAKE CITY – Guided by a season-high and double-double from senior Kelsey Sorenson, the Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team wrapped up its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference road trip with a decisive 71-50 win over Westminster University.
Sorenson’s 21 point and season best 13 rebounds improved the Skyhawks’ record to 11-8 overall and 8-5 in conference play. The Griffins dropped to 3-16 on the year and 1-12 in the league.
The Skyhawks shot a season-high 49 percent (25-of-51) from the field while holding the Griffins to a 35.2 percent (19-of-54) clip. Much like they have been all season, the Skyhawks earned the advantage at the charity stripe by going 14-of-15 versus 8-of-9 for the Griffins. Fort Lewis’ defense was on display as well, forcing 23 turnovers and scoring 20 points off the miscues. It was the 14th time that the Skyhawks have forced 20+ turnovers this season.
Sorenson’s marks led all players, followed by junior Lanae Billy who scored 13 points. Junior Avery Evans enjoyed double-digit points for the second night in a row after contributing 10 to go along with three assists. Junior Sadie Misner picked up nine points and dished out a career-high five assists.
Sorenson’s scoring started early in the contest as the junior contributed the team’s first four points to see a narrow lead after two minutes of play. The Skyhawks added to the lead with scores from Gallery and Evans, taking advantage of opposing turnovers to make it 9-2. The lead extended to double figures as the Griffins’ fifth team foul allowed Wattawa to sink a free throw at the 5:20 mark. Westminster cut into the lead with four points from its leading scorer, Elizabeth Means, for a 12-6 score with under four minutes remaining in the opening quarter. The Griffins pulled within four points late in the quarter, but senior Ember Cervantes ended the run with a corner three. Misner wrapped up the first quarter with a pull-up jumper to give her team a 17-10 lead.
The teams traded baskets to begin the second quarter, Fort Lewis earning points from Sorenson and Misner to make it a 23-14 score. Westminster found success from beyond the arc just before the first media timeout for a two-possession game. The Skyhawks made it a double-digit lead again, this time in part to flawless shooting at the foul line for a 29-17 score with five minutes to go. The following three minutes favored the home team as a six-point scoring run pulled things withing six points. Junior Luisa Chavez slowed the momentum with a three-pointer to give her team 32 points. Fort Lewis spent the final moments of the half at the stripe and held a 34-28 lead heading into the break.
The break in action worked wonders for Fort Lewis as the team came out firing on a 7-0 scoring run to force an early Westminster timeout. The Griffins got on the board at the 7:27 mark, but Billy followed it up with her second basket of the quarter to maintain a 13-point lead. Fort Lewis added to the lead and held onto a 17-point advantage with under three minutes on the clock. Westminster converted back-to-back buckets out of a quick timeout to cut the lead, forcing a Fort Lewis timeout with 90 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Freshman Trista Hoobler was the final Skyhawk to score in the quarter as Fort Lewis carried a 52-40 lead into the final quarter.
The Skyhawks saw baskets from Sorenson and Evans to begin the fourth quarter, lending to a game-high lead of 16 points with just over six minutes to go. Misner added to the lead and gave herself nine points on the night with a three pointed to extend the lead to 62-43 as the clock ticked under five minutes. The good times continued to roll for the Skyhawks with points from three players extending the lead to 22 points with three minutes on the clock. The game’s final minute saw a wave sub for Fort Lewis, and freshman Sarah Chick took advantage of the playing time by picking up an offensive board and assist. Cervantes ended the game with a hard-fought driving layup to end the game in a 71-50 final score.
