On Thursday night, the Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team fought back to take the lead in the fourth quarter after being down all game against Colorado Christian. However, FLC couldn’t make enough plays down the stretch and lost 72-62 on the road.
FLC fell to 5-12 overall and 2-7 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference after it shot 39% from the field, 32% from 3-point range and 77% from the free-throw line in the loss.
“We fought really hard,” FLC head coach Lauren Zuniga said. “The work ethic is there. I never questioned their will or want to win and their camaraderie is amazing. Again, you have to hit shots.”
Sophomore guard Natalie Guanella led FLC with 17 points on 7-14 shooting from the field, 1-2 from 3-point range and 2-2 from the free-throw line. Junior guard Deniece Ryan had 12 points off the bench on 3-7 shooting from the field, 0-2 from 3-point range and 6-8 from the free-throw line.
Colorado Christian improved to 5-12 overall and 3-6 in the RMAC after it shot 39% from the field, 43% from 3-point range and 100% (17-17) from the free-throw line in the win with only seven players available.
The Cougars were led by Nicole Bowlin’s 18 points on 6-12 shooting from the field, 4-8 from 3-point range and 2-2 from the free-throw line in the win. Victoria Perez finished with 15 points for Colorado Christian.
FLC came out in their matchup zone defense and the Cougars found some holes. FLC switched up defenses, but Colorado Christian found some success inside with good passing. Hayley Luther hit two free throws to put the Cougars up 15-8 with 3:38 left in the first.
After shooting 5% from 3-point range in their previous game, the Skyhawks looked hesitant to fire from 3-point range and really looked to get the ball inside via post touches or drives. FLC’s offense wasn’t efficient in the first but the Skyhawks did a good job of drawing fouls. Two free throws by Ryan cut Colorado Christian’s lead to 20-14 with 1:30 left in the first quarter.
“We’re looking to be more aggressive and get to the free-throw line; we have really good free-throw shooters,” Zuniga said. “It’s not that we don't want to shoot threes, but it’s about not settling for threes. Even tonight, we maybe took that too literally and passed up some 3-point opportunities.”
The Skyhawks hit their first 3-pointer with 19 seconds left in the first after a wing 3-pointer by freshman guard Claudia Palacio Gámez but Dasiya Jones hit a scoop shot layup for the Cougars at the buzzer to put Colorado Christian up 22-17.
Colorado Christian started the second quarter with some strong jump shooting to keep FLC behind. But FLC responded with more work in the paint; Guanella and senior forward Eva Kingston both finished inside to cut the Cougar lead to 27-23 with five minutes left in the half.
The Cougars did a poor job in the middle of the quarter of getting post touches. Entry passes were forced in and FLC did a good job of having active hands and stripping the Colorado Christian post players. Guanella had a steal and score to cut the Cougars’ lead to 27-25.
FLC struggled to finish at the end of the quarter. Senior forward Darla Hernandez missed a few midrange jump shots and layups. Guanella continued her good first half and hit a high-arching 3-pointer with 59 seconds left. She had 11 first-half points as FLC trailed 33-28 at the half.
“She's not afraid to get to the paint; she's not afraid to be aggressive defensively,” Zuniga said about Guanella. “She's a great teammate and overall, she did everything wonderfully. I'm so impressed with her and she's really strong driver.”
The Skyhawks turned the ball over three times in the first four minutes of the third. The Skyhawks had four turnovers in the first half. But senior guard Livia Knapp hit a 3-pointer to once again cut Colorado Christian’s lead to one.
Turnovers stopped FLC from taking the lead but FLC continued to attack the paint in the third quarter to keep it close as Colorado Christian led 48-43 going into the fourth.
Hernandez got going to start the fourth with two midrange jumpers and that seemed to get the whole team going offensively. Freshman guard Katie Lamb hit two 3-pointers to cut Colorado Christian’s lead to 56-53 with 6:40 left.
Guanella took FLC’s first lead since the first quarter with a fast break layup to put FLC up 57-56 with 4:40 left. The Skyhawks were turning the Cougars over and limiting Colorado Christian’s effectiveness with good contests on shots.
Colorado Christian responded with some free throws but Knapp had a response. She went coast-to-coast and finished strong with her left hand to tie the game at 59 with 3:08 left.
After a tough layup by Perez to give the Cougars a 61-59 lead with 2:43 left, Knapp had the chance to tie the game again. Instead, it was a five-point swing. She missed the contested layup and Colorado Christian went the other way; Mia Guest hit a 3-pointer to put the Cougars up 64-59.
The Skyhawks went scoreless for two minutes after this. Ryan missed a wide-open layup and other Skyhawks couldn’t finish. Eventually, FLC had to foul before the final buzzer sounded.
FLC continues its two-game road trip at UCCS on Saturday at 1 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
