GUNNISON, Colo.  The Mountaineers on Thursday night won their third Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women's basketball game in a row, posting a commanding 75-57 victory over visiting Fort Lewis College as five players scored in double-figures for Western Colorado.

Rachel Cockman led the way with game-highs in points (16) and rebounds (10) to record her fifth double-double of the season. Her scoring efforts in the win over the Skyhawks lift her career total to just 15 points shy of 1,000 points.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western def. Fort Lewis, 75-57
Records: Western 9-3 overall (4-1 RMAC), Fort Lewis 4-9 (1-4)
Location: Paul Wright Gym, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• A 9-2 opening by the Mountaineers put them in the driver's seat as Brooklyn Seymour and Jayda Maves took charge early. Seymour's layup opened the scoring with Maves knocking down a 3-pointer from the right wing on the next possession. Maves drained a pair of free throws and Seymour added another driving layup to put the Skyhawks in an early hole with no momentum.
• The Mountaineer lifted their advantage to double digits, 19-9, for the first time in the game late in the first quarter on an Ivey Schmidt layup before settling for a nine-point advantage, 21-12, at the end of the period.
• Fort Lewis drew back within five points nearing the midpoint of the second quarter, but eight consecutive points by Cockman ended that threat and pushed Western's lead to 11 (30-21).
• Natalie Jojola dropped in a 3-pointer in the final minute to increase the margin to 17, but a foul and the ensuing free throws on Fort Lewis' last second shot made it a 15-point game, 42-27, at the halftime break.
• The Skyhawks came out of the halftime break and whittled their deficit down to just eight, 53-45, at the end of the third quarter, but Western has often been a fourth-quarter squad this season and Thursday was no different.
• They scored a game-best 22 points in the fourth, pushing the margin to as many as 19 while hitting 64 percent (9-of-14) of their shots to seal away the win.

COURT NOTES

• Joining Cockman in double figures for the Mountaineers were Seymour with 14, Schmidt with 13, and Maves and Jojola each with 10 points.
• Western entered the game a 10.3 rebounding margin so far this season, a number that will increase after outrebounding the Skyhawks 39 to 24 on the night.  Schmidt, with 8, trailed only Cockman on the boards while three others had at least 4 rebounds and 10 players had at least 1.
• For the game Western shot 48% from the floor, including 40% from behind the arc, while limiting FLC shooters to a 34% night.
• The only blemish on the night were double digit turnovers by Western, miscues that the Skyhawks turned into 19 points during their defeat.

THEY SAID IT


UP NEXT
Western – whose win over FLC puts the Mountaineers in sole possession of second place in the RMAC standings – will seek to keep the momentum going with Saturday afternoon's visit from New Mexico Highlands, which dropped an 86-54 decision Thursday night at Colorado Mesa.