No. 20 Fort Lewis took one haymaker after another directly on the chin Saturday night in Gunnison – and the Skyhawks might have staggered but they were still standing tall at the end.
Western State made 17 3-pointers, attempted 16 more shots than Fort Lewis and won the battle of the bench players by double digits. However, the Skyhawks led for 40 of the game’s 45 minutes and sneaked out of Gunnison with a 107-103 overtime win. The win was the ninth in a row for the defending conference champions, 19th in a row against conference opponents and caps off the first Fort Lewis road sweep against Colorado Mesa and Western State since the 2005-06 season.
“It takes a special team to survive the onslaught Western State threw at us for 45 minutes,” Fort Lewis head coach Bob Pietrack said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “Hats off to the Mountaineers. They were incredible (Saturday) and they had us on the ropes. We weren’t playing bad defense by any means, they just kept making shots, but the toughness and resilience of this program is so special.”
Rasmus Bach led Fort Lewis (9-1, 4-0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) with a double-double, scoring 21 points and snatching 11 rebounds to lead the Skyhawks in both categories. Bach had seven of the team’s 13 points in overtime to carry FLC to victory.
The two teams took little time finding their offensive rhythm in a scorching opening 20 minutes. Both teams shot better than 50 percent from the field in the first half, went a combined 15-for-15 from the foul line and poured in 15 combined 3-pointers.
Fort Lewis, however, clung to a 55-49 lead at halftime.
Western State continued the offensive showcase to start the second half and cut the deficit down in a hurry. Looking for answers, Pietrack called for full-court pressure in an effort to shake up the rhythm of the Western State offense, and the reigning RMAC Coach of the Year pushed the right buttons once again.
The result was a 14-1 run that gave Fort Lewis its largest lead of the game at 14 points.
“We were up double digits and I thought we had them right where we wanted them, but they just kept coming,” Pietrack said.
The gritty Mountaineers (2-6, 1-3 RMAC) figured out the press and climbed all the way back with an 11-0 run of their own and grabbed the lead late. The teams exchanged baskets in a furious stretch of play in the final minute that led to a 94-94 score at the end of regulation before Bach and the Skyhawks took the game over in the extra session.
Will Morse had a season-high 18 points for Fort Lewis, and Joshua Blaylock added 17. Brandon Wilson also had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Riley Farris scored 16 points in 15 minutes off the bench.
“I’m just so proud to be able to coach this group of guys,” Pietrack said. “We could have easily said ‘Hey, it’s just their night,’ because that’s what it felt like. These guys just didn’t let it happen. They give FLC every ounce of energy on the court, in the classroom and in the community. We’re a lucky coaching staff.”
After a tough weekend on the road, the Skyhawks will have to bounce back quicker than normal and be ready to play at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Adams State.
jfries@durangoherald.com
