March 5, 2010

Fort Lewis Downs Metro State, 60-46, to Advance to RMAC Championship Game

by Anthony Sandstrom, CSU-Pueblo Sports Information Director

PUEBLO, Colo. - Fourth-ranked Fort Lewis, the top seed in the 2010 RMAC Shootout, avenged its only conference loss of the season, downing Metro State 60-46.

Metro State started very strong, jumping out to an early 6-0 lead as Fort Lewis began the game 0-for-9 from the field.

But Fort Lewis responded in a big way, tying the game at 11 and going on a 13-0 run to take the game over. The Skyhawks scored 30 of the half's final 38 points, carrying a dominant 30-14 advantage into halftime. A big portion of the Skyhawks' first half surge came from Katie Mackey, who sank three threes and finished with 12 points in the half, part of her 14 points overall.

Metro State began to make it interesting in the second half, starting the half on a 15-5 run and getting within six, 35-29, with 15 minutes remaining in the game.

But again, Fort Lewis battled and built itself a cushion that it rode to victory. Leading 43-36, Fort Lewis scored nine of the following 12 points, opening up a 52-39 lead that it would never relinquish.

The Skyhawks were led by Mackey and Laura Haugen, each of which with 14 points, while Emily Wood was the only Roadrunner to score in double-digits, netting a game-high 15 points.

Fort Lewis, now 30-2 on the season, will play in the program's first RMAC Shootout championship game since 2004 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night while Metro State's season ends with a 17-12 record.