It is tough to beat any team three times in one season.
At least, the Fort Lewis College men’s basketball team hopes that is the case this season when it comes to CSU-Pueblo.
The fourth-seeded FLC Skyhawks (17-9, 14-8 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) begin play in the RMAC Shootout with a home game against the five-seed CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves (15-11, 13-9 RMAC) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Whalen Gymnasium.
The ThunderWolves have hit the Skyhawks in the two previous matchups this year. CSU-Pueblo bested FLC 93-87 on Dec. 7 in Durango and 77-51 on Valentine’s Day in Pueblo.
“We are hoping the third time is a charm. We haven’t played our best basketball against them this year, but a lot of that is about how well they have played against us,” said FLC associate head coach Bob Pietrack.
The Skyhawks have struggled to slow CSU-Pueblo star Nate Tigner in those two previous matchups. Tigner, who leads CSU-Pueblo with 15.7 points per game, leads the conference with 6.6 assists per game and ranks second in the conference with two steals per game. He is helping the ThunderWolves rank first in the conference in assist to turnover ratio.
The last time Tigner played in Durango, he dropped 32 points while dishing out nine assists on a 12-of-15 shooting night.
“Tigner is a fifth-year senior, and he is a huge piece of their team. He is the engine of their team,” Pietrack said. “Any success we have will be because we limit him. Teams that have had success against them have been able to slow him down.”
FLC will continue to rely on junior center Alex Herrera and senior guard Nick Tomsick, whom led the team in points against CSU-Pueblo in each of the two previous matchups.
Tomsick is third in the conference with 20 points per game, and Herrera is fourth with 19 points per game. Herrera also ranks second in the conference in rebounding with an average of nine boards per game while leading the RMAC with 3.5 blocks per game. He has surpassed his own single-season record for blocked shots with 92.
FLC’s four seniors — Oscar Garcia, Mike Matthews, Wes McKenzie and Tomsick — are playing for the continuation of their collegiate careers now that the season has reached the one-and-done stage.
“It is the last night for the seniors at Whalen. We don’t need any extra motivation, even though Pueblo has beat us twice,” Pietrack said. “All the cards are on the table. Careers are on the line.”
The Skyhawks hope the familiar rims on their home court help the team in the 3-point shooting department. FLC is the second-best 3-point shooting team in the conference at 40.6 percent. CSU-Pueblo is ninth in that category at 36.1 percent.
The winner of Tuesday’s game will move on to face the winner of eighth-seeded Colorado Mesa (13-13, 11-11 RMAC) and No. 1 in the conference and No. 1 in the country Metro State (25-1, 22-0 RMAC). Pietrack said his team hasn’t even thought about looking ahead to that game, though.
“Because we lost to Pueblo twice and how much respect we have for them, not one guy or one coach has considered who we play next,” Pietrack said. “The total focus is on Pueblo.”
Pietrack said his team will enjoy watching the women’s game at 5:30 p.m. before taking the court for their RMAC Shootout quarterfinal contest. The Skyhawks hope to gain momentum from having both teams playing at home in front of their fans.
“It is pretty unique for us both to be hosting these games. Both coaching staffs are very close to each other, so it will be special to watch them and have them there to watch us,” Pietrack said. “We both needed to win last Saturday night to get these home games. To both get it done was unreal. There will be great a real spotlight on FLC’s basketball programs.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
