by DURANGO, Colo. – It was a struggle for either team to find any points throughout the night, as the Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team grabbed an early lead, but Regis worked their way back to take the 49-39 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory Saturday night inside Whalen Gym.
Everything looked good through the first 10 minutes for FLC (9-14, 5-12 RMAC) as they outscored Regis (12-10, 8-9 RMAC) 15-8 in the first frame. The Rangers then used a big second quarter, outscoring the Skyhawks 19-7. The second half became a struggle for both teams to score, with Regis holding a 22-17 scoring edge over the course of the entire second half.
Kayla Herrera (Chippewa) did her best to keep it close, tallying 15 points on 6-12 shooting, along with seven rebounds, an assist and three steals. Jordan Carter added seven points and Sydney Candelaria chipped in six. Alyssa Yocky pulled down 13 rebounds.
Carter opened the scoring 39 seconds in when she took a pass from Yocky and buried the layup. Almost four minutes into the game, a three-pointer by Aubre Fortner broke open a 2-2 tie at the 6:09 mark to move FLC out to the 5-2 lead.
A 6-0 run by the Rangers followed, but Herrera snapped the spurt with a trey to knot the game at eight. That helped ignite a 10-0 run with MorningRose Tobey (Sioux) adding a foul shot, Herrera hit two from the line and then jumpers from Herrera and Candelaria closed the first quarter leaving FLC with the 15-8 lead.
Regis opened the second quarter on a 5-0 run that last the first five minutes of the quarter before Hanna Valencia sunk a three from the wing to keep the FLC lead at five, 18-13. Just like the start to the quarter, the Rangers then went on an 11-0 run, hitting three three-pointers to push the lead out to 24-18.
A pair of Yocky free throws and a jumper by Hanna Valencia right before halftime helped keep it close leaving Regis with a 27-22 lead at the break.
FLC came out energized to start the second half, going on a 6-0 run with Herrera opening the half with a jumper 43 seconds in. Carter then added a layup off an offensive rebound before Yocky and Carter split free throws to end the run that left the Skyhawks with a 28-27 lead.
The Skyhawks kept Regis off the board for the first four-plus minutes of the third quarter before a three-pointer by Majestie Robinson moved the Rangers back in front at 30-28. After Herrera hit a layup on the next trip down to tie the game at 30, Regis went on another 6-0 run to move ahead 36-30.
Candelaria ended the run with a big three-point-play that ended up close the scoring for the quarter and left the Rangers with a 36-33 lead entering the final quarter.
Regis scored the first four points of the final frame before a nice drive for two by Herrera at the 5:57 mark left it a five-point game. The Rangers answered quickly, scoring five points in just 39 seconds, with a three from Shelby Espinosa pushing the lead to 45-35.
FLC didn’t go away, with a layup by Carter and then a jumper by Herrera at the 2:55 mark trimmed the deficit down to six. The Skyhawks held on defense for the next few possessions, but couldn’t get any closer on the offensive end and after Elly Walters drilled a corner three-pointer with 35 seconds left that sent Regis to a 49-39 victory.
FLC held the edge on second-chance points (9-4) and on points in the paint (20-14). The Skyhawks went 14-46 (30) from the field, 2-16 (13) from three and 9-16 (56) at the foul line.
