Box Score The NMHU Women's basketball fell to the NCAA DII sixth ranked Skyhawks of Fort Lewis College, 79-71. The game was a tale of two halves because the Skyhawks looked to dominate the game in the first half, leading by as much as 22 points, but the Cowgirls made Fort Lewis work for the win by stepping up in a big way in the second half of play. The Cowgirls benefitted from an all-star performance by
Alyssa Lopez, as she led all scorers on the night with 31 points. The Cowgirls held the RMAC Pre-season Player of the Year, Dana Schriebvogel, to only 13 points and three rebounds, while forcing her to turn the ball over seven times. The Cowgirls struggled with ball control in the first half, turning the ball over 19 times and the Skyhawks took advantage of this to rack up 24 points off those first half turnovers. The Skyhawks would enter the locker room at halftime with a 16 point lead, 41-25. The Cowgirls came out of the halftime break ready to play and brought the game to the Skyhawks. The Cowgirls managed to win the turnover battle in the second half by forcing 10 turnovers and only giving the ball up four times. They were able to score 11 points off of the turnover margin while allowing none to the Skyhawks. The Cowgirls worked relentlessly in the second half and outscored the sixth ranked team in the nation, 46-38, but it was not going to be enough to overcome the deficit and when the final whistle had blown it was Fort Lewis that edged out the victory. With the loss the Cowgirls, led by Head Coach Tiffany Darling, fall to a 3-6 record in the RMAC and 7-6 in overall play.
Alyssa Lopez showed why she has earned the nickname, “The Silent Assassin,” by quietly racking up an outstanding 31 points in her 31 minutes on the court. Lopez struggled to get into rhythm in the first half of play with only five points, but then she exploded in the second half with 26 points and three steals, shooting 10-12 from the field in the second half. Overall on the night she shot 12-18 from the field, 2-3 from behind the three-point arc, and 5-6 from the charity stripe. Lopez is currently leading the RMAC in scoring by averaging 19.5 points per game.
Whitley Coca also scored in double digits for the Cowgirls, putting up 14 points on the night. Despite getting into foul trouble early, Coca regained her composure and led the Cowgirls offense on the court from her point guard position. She would also add three rebounds and a steal in her 38 minutes of playing time.
Tanee' Denson-Griffin rounded out the Cowgirls' top scorers with eight points in the game. Denson-Griffin played a good all-around game in her 28 minutes on the court. She would add four rebounds, four steals, and two assists to her night's totals.
The Cowgirls started out the game strong and were playing well with the sixth ranked Skyhawks. The game was tied at eight points apiece with 16:51 remaining in the first half of play, but Fort Lewis stepped up their game and went on a 17-0 in the next seven minutes. The Skyhawks looked to be in total control of the game at that point, and with only 2:21 left in the first half they enjoyed their biggest lead of the game at 22 points. The Cowgirls regained their composure and managed to cut the lead to only 16 points when the halftime buzzer sounded.
The Cowgirls came out of the locker room looking to redeem themselves as
Alyssa Lopez hit a quick three-pointer out of the gate. With 18:01 left in the game Lopez hit a jump shot to cut the Skyhawks' lead to nine points and she was off, and running at that point. Fort Lewis gathered themselves and got their lead back up to 15 points with 14:42 on the clock. The teams went back and forth, but
Alyssa Lopez hit another big three-point shot with 4:22 remaining to cut the lead back down to nine points. The Cowgirls got a defensive rebound and it was Lopez who would sink a lay-up to cut the lead to seven points. Fort Lewis worked the lead back up to 10 points but the Cowgirls came storming back and
Whitley Coca hit a three-pointer with only 44 seconds remaining to cut the lead to seven once again. The Skyhawks were able to convert their free-throw shots as time wound down and their first half lead would be too much for the Cowgirls to overcome. When the final buzzer sounded Fort Lewis had come away with the eight point victory, by the final score of 79-71.
The Cowgirls will continue home conference action again, on 1/7, as they host their RMAC rival, the Grizzlies of Adams State College. The Grizzlies are currently ranked eighth in the RMAC with a 4-4 conference record and 5-7 in overall play. The game at the John A. Wilson Complex is scheduled for a 6 pm tip-off time, with the Cowboys taking to the court shortly after the completion of the women's game. If you can't make it up to the gym to watch your Cowgirls in action, you can click
HERE to watch the game LIVE on the America One network.
GO COWGIRLS!!!
