GUNNISON, Colo. Western Colorado was 11-for-19 from behind the arc Wednesday night, its long-range prowess helping to ground a Fort Lewis College Skyhawks squad, 72-59, in a non-conference game at Paul Wright Gym in the Mountaineers' home opener.

Ky Buell was a perfect 6-for-6 from 3-point land, pushing the sophomore to a 25-point night. Samantha Coleman added to the treasure trove of 3-pointers, hitting two of her three attempts and finishing with 17 points.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western Colorado def. Fort Lewis, 72-59
Records: Western Colorado 2-1, Fort Lewis 0-3
Location: Paul Wright Gym; Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Their 3-point total was certainly a major factor in the 13-point victory, but the opening quarter and early minutes of the second quarter were a tight battle. There were five lead change and six ties during the opening 10-minute quarter and through two minutes of the second.
• With Fort Lewis leading 18-16 just 16 seconds into the second, Western initiated an 8-0 run to build a small lead, but also one it would never relinquish.
• Katie Dalton hit the second of two free throws to begin the run. And Samantha Coleman's steal on the Skyhawks' ensuing possession turned into a driving layup from  Buell to take the lead for good, at 19-18.
• Buell drained a trey after a Dalton steal, then Grace Kirscher hit a jumper on the next possession to build the advantage to 24-18.
• Fort Lewis would climb back into the game, pulling to within one at 26-25, but an 11-2 spurt – fueled by 3s from Coleman, Emmery Wagstaff and Buell – pushed the lead into double digits nearing the halftime break.
• The advantage would dip into single digits just once in the third quarter, and late in the period would grow to as many as 18.
• The closest the Skyhawks would come over the remaining period and a half would be at 67-59, before Western pushed the lead back into its final double-digit spread.

COURT NOTES

• While Buell and Coleman led the Mountaineer scoring efforts, Sydney Candelaria was a one-women wrecking crew for Fort Lewis. She finished with a game-high 27 points, cutting and slashing her way to the basket all night, and drawing fouls along the way. She was 5-for-10 from the free-throw line, and hit 11 of 24 from the floor, though she was 0-for-5 in 3-point attempts.
• The second and third quarters were the hot ones for Western, as it hit an identical 8-for-12 from the field in each period, including 4-for-5 from behind the arc in the third. For the night, the Mountaineers shot 52 from the floor, hit 58% of their 3-point attempts, and capped it all off with an 11-for-13 (85%) performance from the charity stripe.
• Both teams finished with 27 rebounds in the game. Buell, Dalton and Wagstaff led Western with five boards apiece, while Candelaria and Brooke McGee paced Fort Lewis with six rebounds each.
• The Mountaineer transition game was also a highlight of the contest, as they scorched the Skyhawks with 18 fast-break points while allowing Fort Lewis to convert only seven points off fast turnarounds.

UP NEXT
Western travels to Canyon, Texas, for its next games, participating in the West Texas A&M Tournament on November 26 and 27. The Mountaineers will square off against Southwestern Oklahoma State University the first day of the tournament, followed by a match-up against the host school on the events concluding day.