One common trait of successful teams is the group’s ability to win in a variety of ways and beat the opponents at their own game.
One night after a defensive clinic was on display in an upset of No. 15 Colorado Mines, Fort Lewis College’s men’s basketball team used a second half offensive outburst and had four players finish in double-digit scoring to beat Colorado Christian 84-68.
Joshua Blaylock came up big again for the Skyhawks (7-1, 2-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) and led the way with 21 points on 6-for-10 from long range. Rasmus Bach, Austin Haldorson and Will Morse added 13 each. Haldorson also had seven rebounds.
“It’s important to learn how to play different styles,” said Fort Lewis head coach Bob Pietrack. “(Friday night) we won a physical game against Colorado Mines and (Saturday night) we had to match up with the finesse and shooting depth of Christian, and I think we did a good job with that.”
Down 54-53 in the second half, the Skyhawks caught fire.
A 3-pointer by Morse was followed by a Cade Kloster 3, and the flood gates busted open shortly after.
Not to be outdone, Blaylock’s fade away 3 from the corner started a barrage from behind the arc for the point guard who was instrumental in a 22-2 run that changed the complexion of the game in a hurry.
Fort Lewis shot a scorching 55 percent from 3-point range in the second half en route to its second victory in as many nights.
“The shooting is contagious with these guys,” Pietrack said. “When we make them, we make them, but it seems to go the same way when we’re missing them, too.”
Fort Lewis got off to a roaring start with a 13-1 run as Colorado Christian (4-5, 0-3 RMAC) couldn’t convert on the offensive end and started 1-for-11 from the field.
As it did the previous night against No. 15 Colorado Mines, Fort Lewis’ defense had the clamps on the high-powered Colorado Christian offense. The Skyhawks allowed only one point through the first 8 minutes of play Saturday and kept one of the RMAC’s top offensive units under 70 points.
Midway through the first half, however, the Cougars started making shots and the shooting of FLC went cold. The result was a 10-0 Cougars run that wiped away the FLC lead.
The Cougars trailed by three at halftime but grabbed their first lead 41-40 early in the second half, and the teams went back-and-forth exchanging the lead six times in the first 10 minutes of the half.
That’s when the shots began to fall once again for the Skyhawks.
Blaylock and Morse were key in a run that saw Fort Lewis put up 16 unanswered points to blow the game wide open.
The massive second-half run left little time for the Cougars to come up with an answer.
Isaiah Hanson led the Cougars with 15 points, but leading scorer Zach McLemore was held to nine points on 3-for-11 shooting. For the second consecutive night, Blaylock locked down the opponent’s leading scorer on the defensive end.
“I take pride in what I do on defense,” he said. “Those guys (Gokul Natesan and Zach McLemore) are great players, so I have to make it difficult for them.”
The win capped off a successful weekend homestand for Fort Lewis in a conference where it’s imperative to defend home court.
The Skyhawks will get a week of rest before hitting the road next weekend. Fort Lewis will face CSU-Pueblo at 7:30 p.m. Friday, before heading to Gunnison for a 7 p.m. Saturday matchup with Western State.
jfries@durangoherald.com
