Box Score GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado closed out the opening quarter Saturday night with a five-point advantage over visiting Fort Lewis College, but the Skyhawks took flight in the second quarter and eventually finished with a 68-47 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women's basketball win over the Mountaineers at Paul Wright Gym.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Fort Lewis def. Western, 68-47
Records: Western 1-5 overall (0-2 RMAC), Fort Lewis 4-3 (1-0)
Location: Paul Wright Gym, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Mountaineers were up for the challenge in the early going, scoring the first five points of the game and finishing the opening frame with that same five-point advantage, 13-8.
• It was a 16-10 lead after the initial minutes of the second quarter until Fort Lewis flipped the momentum.
• The Skyhawks pulled to within a point at 20-19 then grabbed the lead for good with a 3-pointer halfway through the quarter.
• Western kept things close, though, over the final five minutes of the frame to enter the halftime break behind by just five, 29-24.
• The third quarter turned the tide for good, as Fort Lewis stretched its lead to double digits in the final minute of the quarter then raced away in the fourth for a 21-point victory.

COURT NOTES

• Rachel Cockman's 12 points led the Western offense, with Jayda Maves also creeping into double figures with 11 points. Just behind was Ivey Schmidt with 9 points.
• Schmidt led the Mountaineers off the glass with a game-high seven rebounds.
• Though Western shot over 42 percent from the floor in the second and third quarters, a 27% output in the final quarter sealed its fate as the Skyhawks were blasting away at a 55% rate in those final 10 minutes.
• The Mountaineers would finish the night at 33% and the Skyhawks ended with a 49% evening.

UP NEXT
Western is on the road for games at Colorado Christian University on Thu., Dec. 7, and at Chadron State College on Sat., Dec. 9.