DURANGO, Colo. - Adams State Women's Basketball saw its 2018-19 season come to a close Friday as the team dropped a 73-54 contest on the road to Fort Lewis College.
The Grizzlies (2-24, 2-20 RMAC) played at a high level the whole night scoring in double figures all four quarters. They shot 34% on the night overall and were 45% from three-point range.
The Skyhawks (13-15, 9-13 RMAC) were able to secure the win on senior night with a pair of 22-point quarters. They shot 38.8% from the field but were just 26.7% from deep.
A big help in the Fort Lewis win was a 32-14 points in the paint edge to go along with 17 forced turnovers that led to 14 points. The Grizzlies got off to a hot start with a 6-0 run to open the game and took a 12-10 lead into the second quarter. Sentreal Gregory closed out the early run for the visiting team with a fast break triple.
The Skyhawks answered and managed to grab a 10-8 lead with just over 3:30 left to play. The lead did not last as a Danielle Jimenez layup and a pair of Brooke Neal free throws gave them a 12-10 lead entering the second quarter.
The second quarter was a back-and-forth affair but the Skyhawks scored 22 while the Grizzlies had just 15 as the home squad led 32-27 at the break.
A 26-19 lead for Fort Lewis was the team's largest lead of the first half but Adams State kept the deficit within single digits going into halftime.Helping the Grizzlies offense stay in a rhythm through the first half was 5-11 shooting performance from beyond the arc.
Adams State got within one point, 33-32, within the first minute of action thanks to a jumper in the paint from Ki'asha Harris and another fast break three from Gregory.
The Skyhawks stayed in front by 1-3 points for much of the third but the Grizzlies managed to tie the game at 38-all on a Madison Merschel layup with just over five minutes left in the third.
Despite the surge from Adams State, Fort Lewis closed out the third quarter with a 13-3 run to take a 51-43 lead into the final quarter of play. The Skyhawks once again put together another 22-point quarter and led by double figures for much of that time. The Grizzlies never really had an answer as they scored just 11 points.
The Grizzlies managed to get within seven points with 6:34 on the clock when Zakiya Beckles hit a triple to make it a 58-51 game. The Skyhawks then went on a 13-0 run to grab a 71-51 lead which ultimately help them seal 73-54 win.
Gregory led the way for the Grizzlies with 13 points on 4-6 shooting and was 3-5 from deep. Stephanie Ruiz added 12 points on 5-12 shooting. Neal chipped in eight points and led the team in rebounds with seven.
Alyssa Yocky scored a game-high 17 points to lead Fort Lewis and grabbed 12 boards for the double-double performance. Aubre Fortner added 12 off bench. Tanisha Begay scored 11 points, while Sydney Candelaria chipped in 10 points.
