By Con Marshall BOX SCORE
Sophomore guard Lanae Billy scored 28 points while leading the Fort Lewis College women’s basketball team to a 71-58 win over short-handed Chadron State on Friday night in Durango, Colo.
The Eagles were at a disadvantage before the game started because two of their top five scorers—Megan Counts and Allison Olsen—were ill and could not play unable to play.
Things got much worse early in the second quarter when their leading scorer and rebounder, all-conference standout Shay Powers, injured her left wrist when she fell to the floor and did not return to action.
The Skyhawks scored the first 4 points of the game, but CSC led 11-4 at the end of the first quarter as Fort Lewis made just one of their 19 field goal attempts in the period.
The tables turned in the second quarter as the Eagles shot 3-13 while FLC was 6-14 overall and 5-10 on 3-pointers, 4 by Billy. A 6-7 performance from the foul line gave the Skyhawks at 23-9 bulge for the quarter and a 27-20 halftime lead.Â
The hosts also had an excellent third stanza as they were 9 of 18 from the field and 8-12 from the charity stripe to build their margin to 55-40. The 13 point margin at the end of the game was the closest the Eagles got in the final stanza.
Billy was 9 of 21 from the field, including 6 of 15 on 3-point attempts, and went 4 of 5 at the free throw line for her 28 points. A year ago when the teams played in Chadron, the 5-7 guard scored 29 points, but the Eagles won 66-61 behind Powers’ 27 points. Â
Powers had just 2 points this time before the wrist injury forced her to leave the game.
Also for Fort Lewis this time, a pair of 6-footers, Kelsey Sorenson and Kate Gallery, added 13 and 10 points, respectively.Â
Despite missing 3 of their key players for all or most of the game, the Eagles out-rebounded the taller Skyhawks 46-31, but they also turned the ball over 26 times to lead to 21 points for Fort Lewis, who gave up the ball just 10 times for 5 CSC points.
Chadron State was led in scoring by Awoti Akoi and Camren Morris with 10 points apiece while combining to grab 15 rebounds. Also for the Eagles, Liberty Line added 8 points and Kadyn Comer and Bria Delimont each had 7.
Fort Lewis is now 9-7 for the season and 6-4 in the RMAC. The Eagles are 5-10 and 3-7 heading into Saturday night’s game with Adams State in Alamosa. Â
                                                         Fort Lewis 71, Chadron State 58
             Chadron State—Awoti Akoi 10, Camren Morris 10, Liberty Line 8, Kadyn Comer 7, Bria Delimont 7, Kylie Krise 4, Kyra Tanabe 4, Olivia Waufle 3, Riley Shaw 3, Shay Powers 2. Totals: 19-49 (3-9) 17-21 58 points, 46 rebounds, 26 turnovers, 14 assists.
             Fort Lewis—Lanae Billy 28, Kelsey Sorenson, 13, Kate Gallery 10, Avery Evans 6, Sadie Misner 5, Sam Wattawa 3, Ember Cervantes 2, Trista Hoobler 2, Luisa Chavez 2. Totals: 22-67 (9-32) 18-24 71 points, 31 rebounds, 10 turnovers, 9 assists.
             Chadron State          11           9        20       18       —-58
             Fort Lewis                    4        23        28       16        —-71
             3-pointers: CSC—Comer, Delimont, Shaw, all 1. FLC—Billy 6. Gallery 2, Misner 1,