Colorado Christian built a double digit first half lead and didn't look back, defeating Fort Lewis 62-49 Friday night in Durango.
Road wins aren't easy to come by in the RMAC, and although it wasn't a perfect performance by the Cougars, the result is all that matters. CCU has now collected seven conference wins, and are winners of three of their last four.
Credit Christian for continuing to find ways, and doing whatever it takes to win. In a game that featured a combined 51 turnovers and unremarkable shooting, it was the Cougars that capitalized and came away with the victory.
The Cougars were paced by
Christina Whitelaw, who was back to filling the box score in a number of categories. Whitelaw, who has been rounding into form since returning earlier in the month, finished the game with ten points, four rebounds, and game-highs in assists and steals with four and eight, respectively.
Of the Skyhawks 28 turnovers, 19 of those came from CCU steals. Christian converted those turnovers into 28 points on the other end of the floor.
CCU also got a heavy contribution from forward
Ali Meyer. The freshman Meyer added six points and four steals to go along with her ten rebounds.
It was another balanced attack offensively for the visitors, as
Taylor Torres and
Alyssa Fressle both connected on a pair of treys. Fressle scored a team-high 11 coming off the bench while Torres finished with nine and three assists.
"It wasn't our prettiest win, but we have put a lot of focus on playing for the love of the game and more importantly, for each other," remarked Whitelaw. "Tonight we showed we can come together and pull through no matter the circumstances."
The win was a big one for Christian, who now have a real opportunity to get a weekend road sweep as they head to Alamosa tomorrow to take on Adams State. The Grizzlies enter Saturday's contest having won just two games on the season, but it will be crucial for the Cougars to maintain focus in the second night of the back-to-back. Saturday night's tip is slated for 5:30pm.
