by By Angela Roberts
RAPID CITY, S.D. – Late free throws and double-figures from three players led the Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team to its four-straight win, a 77-73 overtime thriller over South Dakota Mines in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play on Friday evening. It was the first overtime game for the Skyhawks since the 2017-18 season.
With the win, Fort Lewis improved to 8-4 overall and 5-1 in conference play while South Dakota Mines dropped to 2-11 on the year and 2-5 in league play.
Fort Lewis shot 39.7 percent (23-of-58) from the field compared to a 41.3 percent (26-of-63) mark for South Dakota Mines. A difference maker in the contest came via free throws where the Skyhawks knocked down 25 compared to 12 for the Hardrockers. Fort Lewis forced 23 turnovers while committing just 13 of their own and scored 23 points off of turnovers.
Senior Kelsey Sorenson led all players with a season-high 23 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the year. Sophomore Lanae Billy followed with 18 points (8-of-8 FT) to go along with four rebounds and three steals. Junior Luisa Chavez rounded out double-digit contributors with a career-high 13 points. Junior Samantha Wattaw ranked second on the team with seven rebounds. Junior Sadie Misner paced the squad with four steals.
The Hardrockers were the first to score with their leading scorer, Piper Bauer, draining a three after two minutes of defensive play. Sorenson responded by beating her defender at the baseline for a layup and added another score moments later to pull her team within one point. The teams traded buckets over the next two minutes, including sophomore Kate Gallery’s first make of the night to see the score at 12-6 in favor of South Dakota Mines. The next 40 seconds of play saw the Hardrockers score on three straight possessions to make it 17-6 with 4:12 to go. Out of a break, it was Chavez who got the Skyhawks into double figures, scoring five points to make it 17-11. Wattawa and Chavez combined for scores down the stretch to make it 21-16.
Free throws for South Dakota Mines opened the second quarter before another layup by Sorenson could get Fort Lewis on the board. The senior followed it up with a surprising three-pointer to pull the Skyhawks within two points. Sorenson continued to cook and knotted the score at 23-23 with a turnaround jumper at the 6:41 mark. South Dakota Mines reclaimed a narrow lead with a jumper, but Sorenson came back with a three-point play to make it 26-25 in favor of Fort Lewis. Misner rewarded herself off of the steal with a jumper at the free throw line to extend the team’s lead to three points. The score remained tied at 30-30 as the clock ticked under one minute, but South Dakota Mines earned the late advantage to hold a 33-31 at half.
Out of the break, it was another fast start from the home team to make it 40-31 before a layup from Gallery to slow the momentum. Junior Avery Evans dropped one in for the Skyhawks, and Chavez followed with a corner three to see the score at 43-38 with 6:30 on the clock. Shots continued to fall for both teams, including Billy’s first made basket of the evening, to see the score at 47-40. Chavez’s quality night continued, this time from the charity stripe, with four made shots to see the score at 49-45. Evans followed with a drained three-pointer to pull Fort Lewis within one point at the three-minute mark. Defense on both sides cranked it up late in the quarter as the one-point margin carried into the final minute. Misner broke the spell with two made free throws to give her team the one-point advantage. The Hardrockers eventually dropped in a layup following an onslaught of offensive rebounds to earn the lead, but Billy answered with a step-back three to make it 53-51, a score that would hold at the buzzer.
Billy started the scoring in the final quarter with a pair of made shots at the free-throw line to extend the lead to 55-51. Gallery followed with a driving layup to make it a six-point game, forcing a South Dakota Mines timeout with under seven minutes remaining. The Hardrockers went on to score five points to return the game to a one-point margin as the clock ticked below five minutes. Sorenson and Billy combined for four points out of a media timeout to bring the Skyhawks’ lead to 61-56 with 3:50 to go. South Dakota Mines surged back with a 6-0 scoring run to reclaim a one-point edge with two minutes remaining. The lead swapped sides two more times as time drained under one minute, capped off by Sorenson’s 20th point of the night. Free throws carried the teams under 20 seconds with a pair from Billy giving Fort Lewis a 68-65 lead. Out of a timeout, the Hardrockers executed a three-pointer to tie the score at 68-all with 10 seconds remaining. The Skyhawks couldn’t get a shot off in the final seconds, sending the game to overtime.
The home team opened the extra five-minute period with free throws, and Billy answered back with a three to make it 71-70. The lead switched sides again, capped off with another layup from Sorenson to bring things to 73-72 with 1:42 remaining. The Hardrockers scored on one of three free throws to tie the game with under 30 seconds to go, and a clutch steal by Billy resulted in two made free throws to give Fort Lewis a two-point lead. South Dakota Mines missed a jumper out of a timeout, and Sorenson’s 10th rebound of the night game the Skyhawks the ball with 10 seconds on the clock. Misner, one of the top free throw shooters in program history, padded the lead at the line with two made shots. The late makes from the striped proved to be the difference maker as the clock expired on a 77-73 overtime win.
