Late surge lifts Warriors
Copyright of the Lewiston Morning Tribune

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Lewis-Clark State women were once again tested by the Frontier Conference's cellar dweller. And, once again, the Warriors gutted out a victory.

Despite a big second half from Westminster's Shalee Fackrell, LCSC nabbed a 73-63 win on Saturday. The Warriors improved to 18-8 and 7-3 while the Griffins dipped to 3-21 and 0-10.

"They're 0-10 now, but I don't know how," said LCSC coach Brian Orr, whose team beat Westminster 77-70 in January. "They gave us everything we could handle."

Westminster tied the game at 58, then turned the ball over on four consecutive possessions. The Warriors closed the game with a 15-5 blitz.

Fackrell, the conference's top scorer, tallied 24 points -- 19 of which came after halftime.

But Westminster's Lindsey Huffman, the No. 2 scorer in the FC, managed just four points. Orr credited freshman Jade Fulbright with locking down on her.

The Warriors also got a stellar showing in the paint from Ashley Baker and Kendra West, while Katya Yancheva came off the bench to hit key 3-pointers.

The Warriors will return home next week to face Montana State-Northern and Great Falls. They will also welcome back point guard Nikki Haerling, who hasn't played since her grandfather and sister were killed in an automobile accident Jan. 29.

Her parents and grandmother are still in the hospital, Orr said, but "they think it's for the best for her and her family that she comes back and plays."

Haerling "said she misses the players," Orr said. "And she said, 'We set out goal to get to the national tournament, and that's what I want to do.' "

Orr said Thursday's game will be Nikki Haerling Night. There will be an auction of LCSC jerseys, with the proceeds going to help the family pay medical bills.

Statistics were not made available to the Tribune.