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Fort Lewis College basketball crowned in 'Classic' final
Herald Staff ReportIt wasn't quite movie-worthy, but the No. 8 Fort Lewis College women's basketball team put on a dramatic show Sunday to win the Disney Tip-Off Classic in Anaheim, Calif.
Down by 10 at one point in the first quarter and leading by just four at the half, the Skyhawks (3-0) had to battle throughout to beat Southern Indiana 84-81 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Alison Rosel had 21 points on 9 of 14 shooting to go with 12 rebounds, while Laura Haugen hit six 3-pointers on her way to 21 points and six assists.
Although FLC shot 54.7 percent for the game and had 20 assists to Southern Indiana's 13, Southern Indiana had a possession down by three with 7 seconds left.
"They played hard," FLC head coach Mark Kellogg said. "For three quarters of the game, they wanted it more than we did, and it showed." Katie Mackey chipped in three more treys among her 17 points, and Mary Rose Paiz was a perfect 4-for4 with eight points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench.
Amie Newhart and Rinesha Soaper both had 20 points for Southern Indiana, which returns four starters from its 2008 season.
The Skyhawks beat Western Oregon and San Francisco State in earlier games, conceding 74 points in the latter Friday. FLC did that only once in 2008, a game it lost.
"We gave up a lot of points those two games," Kellogg said. "We've gotta get that fixed." The games are exempt from the Division II regular season limit of 27, but FLC nonetheless is officially 3-0, and two of those wins came against regional opponents.
The Skyhawks next will play Division I Arizona on Thursday in the latter's first exhibition of the year.
"We'll keep playing the same way we do," Kellogg said.
The Wildcats are "fairly young," he said, and FLC has beaten three Division I opponents in the last two seasons - Weber State, Utah Valley University and Northern Arizona University. The Skyhawks lost to Utah in 2007.
"It's a different type of athlete than we'll see any time this season," Kellogg said. "We'll do some things they haven't seen, too," he said.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
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