By: Con Marshall
CSC Sports Information
CHADRON, Neb. – A huge second half and a career scoring night from Ashayla Powers propelled the Chadron State College women's basketball team to an 83-72 victory over the Fort Lewis Skyhawks on Thursday night in the Chicoine Center.
The Eagles (6-19, 5-14 RMAC) overcame a 10-point halftime deficit by outscoring the Skyhawks 50-29 in the second half, scoring 25 points in each quarter.
The star of the show was Chadron State's 5-10 senior Powers, who poured in a career-high 32 points, 22 of them in the second half, and also was the game's leading rebounder with 12. She made 13 of 19 field goal shots and was 6-of-8 at the free throw line.
Megan Counts also had a double-double for the second straight game with 12 points and 11 rebounds. In addition, CSC had a season-high 20 assists, nine of them passes to Powers that she converted into points.
For the game, Coach Travis Brewster's team was 29 of 62 (46.8%) from the field and outrebounded the Skyhawks 45-32. Fort Lewis was 25 of 66 (37.9%) on its field goal attempts. Both teams sank seven 3-pointers, but the visitors took 27 shots from behind the arc and the Eagles 16.
Three players scored nearly 80 percent of the Skyhawks points. Deniece Ryan, a 5-2 junior, scored 21 points and Darla Hernandez and Levia Knapp, both seniors, had 18 apiece. Fort Lewis jumped out to a 23-16 first quarter lead by making 9 of 22 shots from the field, including four 3-pointers. The visitors stayed ahead the entire second period and increased the lead to double-digits as the half was ending when Ryan nailed back-to-back 3-pointers, the last one at the buzzer.
But Chadron State outscored the Skyhawks 25-10 in the third quarter to turn the 10-point halftime deficit into a five-point advantage at 58-53. Powers scored 11 points in the frame and junior Kylie Krise sank a pair of 3-pointers to lead the rally. CSC also tallied 25 points in the fourth quarter while going 13-of-16 from the free throw line, including makes on all six shots in the final 22 seconds. Overall, the Eagles were 18 of 22 at the charity stripe.
Powers' previous career high point total was 29 points against Nebraska-Kearney in November 2022. She has now scored 1,467 points during her career, fifth on the Eagles' scoring list. Powers can crack the program's top three if she can score 27 points on Saturday in her final collegiate game. The Eagles will conclude their season Saturday at 1 p.m. by hosting Adams State.
Fort Lewis—Deniece Ryan 21, Darla Hernandez 18, Livia Knapp 18, Katie Lamb 5, Natalie Guanella 4, Eva Knighton 4, Sarah Chick 2. Totals: 25-66 FG (7-27 3PT) 15-23 FT. 72 points, 32 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 turnovers.