LAKEWOOD, CO- The Cougars returned home on Thursday evening for an RMAC matchup against Fort Lewis. CCU played gritty and determined throughout, pulling away in the final minutes to claim a well deserved 72-62 victory over the Skyhawks. 

Hayley Luther splashed a three-pointer home to start the game, and layups from Victoria Perez, Elise Grosdidier and Dasiya Jones put CCU ahead 9-8. Jones put in another layup and a pair of free throws from Luther sent the hosts ahead 15-8. Jones got a last second layup to go to close the first quarter with her team leading 22-17. 

The offense came out hot in the second as Nicole Bowlin drilled a three and Perez connected on a jumper. The Skyhawks battled to stay in the game, bringing things closer, but a Bowlin layup to close the half kept CCU ahead five at 33-28 heading to the break. 

Perez and Jenna Kendall kept their team in front with a pair of threes, and despite FLC drawing the game to within one point, a late Bowlin three saw CCU take a 48-43 lead to the final frame. 

Fort Lewis refused to go away, fighting back from an eight point deficit to claw their way into the lead by one point with 4:51 to play. Luther drew a big foul on a three-point attempt and nailed every free throw while Perez hit a layup and Mia Guest drilled a clutch three-pointer to put CCU ahead 64-59 with 2:17 left. With time dwindling, the Skyhawks were forced to foul and the Cougars made the most of their chances to claim a hard fought 72-62 victory for their second straight win. 

Bowlin led four Cougars in double digit points with 18 points, including 4 three-pointers. Perez followed with 15 points, and Jones and Luther chipped in 14 and 13 points respectively. Luther posted the first double-double of her career with 10 rebounds. The stat that stood out on the night was a mark of 17-17 from the free throw line from the Cougars as they iced the game with pivotal shots from the charity stripe. 

CCU continues play on January 25 with a home tilt against Adams State at 1 p.m. MST.