CHADRON, Neb. – Five Skyhawks finished with double-digit points led by Brenden Boatwright with 19 as the No. 15/17 Fort Lewis College men’s basketball team topped the Chadron State College Eagles 84-72 in the Chicoine Events Center on Friday night.
FLC moves up to 14-1 overall and 8-1 in RMAC play while Chadron State falls to 8-8 overall and 5-5 in conference play. With his sixth point in Friday’s game, Boatwright, a senior center and five-year veteran, has surpassed 1,000 career points with FLC.
“It’s difficult anytime you go on the road in the RMAC,” head coach Bob Pietrack said. “(Chadron State) got off to a good start, but I thought we dominated in every facet. After our 13-point run to take the lead we never really looked back. I felt our offense really turned it up a notch, but with five guys in double-figures it was really a collective effort. I’m proud of our guys for the way they played tonight, and especially for Brenden Boatwright for adding over 1,000 career-points to his impressive career here at Fort Lewis.”
Chadron was full-throttle from the get-go, racing out to a nine-point lead on the back of 10 consecutive points from Isaiah Wyatt. FLC would respond, however, making a 13-point run across 3:59 minutes of play to take a 19-15 lead capped off with a layup from Sekou Dembele.
The Skyhawks would go on another pair of small, five-point runs, but it was shooting struggles that plagued the Eagles. Shooting 31.43% (11-35) from the field in the opening half, Chadron State trailed FLC 39-28 at halftime.
Wyatt and the Eagles found shooting success in the second half, but the Skyhawks would not falter, leading by as many as 20 points without letting Chadron come any closer than 10.
Boatwright finished the night with two assists and nine rebounds to compliment his 19 points: a near double-double. Dembele finished just shy of a double-double as well, providing 10 rebounds and eight points in Friday’s game. JaQuaylon Mays also supplied 14 points, Obi Agbim and Akuel Kot another 13 each, and Brendan La Rose 11– a new season high – to round out the double-digit scorers for FLC.
FLC out-shot the Eagles from the field 52.5% (32-61) to 39.4% (26-66) while also outscoring Chadron State on points in the paint 42-26. Additionally, both sides had an even 36 total rebounds while Chadron State committed 12 turnovers to the Skyhawks 11.
The Skyhawks are back in action today with a matchup against the Colorado Christian Cougars. Tipoff in Lakewood is scheduled for 7 p.m.
