by Angela Roberts
DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team made it a two-possession game midway through the second half, but a late surge gave No. 9/10 Colorado School of Mines an 81-62 win inside of Whalen Gymnasium on Friday night.
With the loss, the Skyhawks dropped to 11-9 overall and 8-6 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action while the Orediggers improved to 18-2 on the year and 13-1 in league play.Fort Lewis shot 41.3 percent (19-of-46) from the field versus a 41.9 percent (26-of-62) clip for Mines.
The Orediggers benefited from 11 three-pointers compared to five for the Skyhawks. The teams combined for 37 free throws with Fort Lewis holding the efficiency advantage at 76 percent. Mines used its elite defense to tally 43 rebounds, including 19 offensive boards.Sophomore Lanae Billy led all players with 24 points, her eighth 20-plus point outing of the year, to go along with a game-high six steals.
Junior Samantha Wattawa followed with a career-high 15 points and seven rebounds. Junior Avery Evans recorded nine points, followed by sophomore Kate Gallery at seven. Mines was led by Ashley Steffeck at 23 points and eight assists.The first quarter saw six lead changes, and a pair came early on after a three from Billy made it a one-point game. The sophomore tied it at 7-7 at the midway point before the Orediggers made three free throws to reclaim a lead. Billy followed with two makes at the stripe, and Wattawa gave the Skyhawks a 12-10 lead on the following possession. The lead swapped sides twice before a 6-0 run by Mines closed out the quarter in a 20-14 score.The Orediggers opened the second quarter with five more points, but Gallery snapped the scoring streak for a 25-16 score. Mines extended the lead to double figures, but Billy got the Skyhawks back in it with five points.
Despite cutting into the lead midway through the quarter, the end of the second quarter favored Mines, and the visitors entered the break with a 43-31 lead.Fort Lewis’ most productive quarter kicked off with a jumper from Billy just 20 seconds into play. Billy cut the deficit to nine points at the 6:26 mark with another jumper, and junior Sadie Misner made it an eight-point have one minute later. Wattawa showed off her poise at the free throw line to make it 51-46, and the Skyhawks pulled within three points with under two minutes on the clock after a Misner jumper. The Orediggers converted on their following two possessions, but Misner was the last to score as Fort Lewis trailed 59-55 heading into the game’s final 10 minutes.Scoring came early and often for both teams in the fourth quarter with the margin remaining in single digits through four minutes. Mines started to press midway through the quarter, heating up beyond the arc to extend the lead to 73-62. The Orediggers continued to roll through the final two minutes of play, going on another run to end the game in an 81-62 final. Fort Lewis was held to just seven points in the fourth quarter
