The Fort Lewis College men’s basketball team looked like it had complete control of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, but two close losses on the road have brought other foes back into the picture.
After losing its first conference game of the season to Adams State, 95-93, on Thursday, the Skyhawks dropped their second conference game on Saturday to New Mexico Highlands, 93-88 in overtime. A once three-game lead in the RMAC is down to one for the Skyhawks.
It was a somewhat familiar story for the Skyhawks against New Mexico Highlands. FLC led at the half, fell behind in the middle of the second half, before coming back late in the game.
Except this time, FLC couldn’t come out with the win. Redshirt sophomore guard Stewart Erhart went to the free-throw line with 27 seconds left in regulation with the Skyhawks down 80-79, with the chance to take the lead. He hit one of two free throws, the game went into overtime and the Skyhawks lost their second game of the week.
If FLC’s defense was better and the Skyhawks didn’t turn the ball over so much, Erhart’s free-throw miss wouldn’t have mattered. Before the Adams State loss, FLC hadn’t allowed over 90 points since its 105-84 loss to West Texas A&M on Nov. 29.
“We let them do exactly what we knew they wanted to do, which is get to the paint, and their guards attacked us relentlessly … I think that's the first game in 10 games we did not win the points in the paint, and obviously, we did not win the game,” FLC men’s basketball head coach Jordan Mast said.
FLC dropped to 14-7 overall and 12-2 in the RMAC after it shot 43% from the field, 22% from 3-point range and 67% from the free-throw line. Erhart led the Skyhawks with 18 points on 6-17 shooting from the field, 1-8 from 3-point range and 5-6 from the free-throw line. Fifth-year forward Chuol Deng added 15 points and nine rebounds.
New Mexico Highlands improved to 10-15 overall and 8-6 in the RMAC after it shot 46% from the field, 31% from 3-point range and 89% from the free-throw line. Ramiah Adedigba led the Cowboys with 28 points on 11-18 shooting from the field, 2-4 from 3-point range and 4-4 from the free-throw line.
The first 12 minutes of the first half were back and forth before FLC went on a 15-2 run to take a 37-28 lead with 2:47 left in the first half. FLC held on and led 42-39 at the half. Mast liked how his team was getting to the rim in the first half as the Skyhawks shot 57% from the field, but he was unsatisfied with how much his team was turning the ball over.
“They played man, and then they went to a 1-3-1, and then they went to a 2-3,” Mast said about the Cowboys’ defense. “So, they did some good stuff where they kind of kept us on our toes, guessing, and that didn't let us get into a great flow. But a lot of our turnovers were soft turnovers … it's catching the ball and traveling and not having our feet set.”
In the second half, New Mexico Highlands quickly got back in front and had a 61-54 lead with 10:12 left. FLC eventually rallied to take a 73-70 lead with 3:16 left, but the Skyhawk offense was a lot less efficient in the second half, particularly from 3-point range with a 1-11 second-half mark. Mast said about seven of those 3-pointers were wide-open, good looks for FLC.
FLC had an excuse if Mast wanted to use it. The Skyhawks were dealing with an illness going through the team, limiting some players’ minutes and stamina. However, Mast blamed the loss in overtime on turnovers, which really turned the momentum of the overtime period.
The Skyhawks hit the road to play at Colorado Mesa on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. It’s a big game for both teams, with the Skyhawks only a game ahead of the Mavericks in the conference standings. If FLC wins, it would have a three-game lead on Colorado Mesa and a two-game lead on the rest of the conference.
Last season, Colorado Mesa outrebounded FLC by 36 in a regular-season win, while FLC won 89-65 in the RMAC tournament. Mast expects the Mavericks to play a similar style, with a little smaller personnel.
Women’s basketball gets convincing road win at New Mexico Highlands
With the RMAC tournament on the horizon, FLC women’s basketball head coach Lauren Zuniga knows every game is important for the Skyhawks, and her team understood the importance on Saturday with a 78-58 win at New Mexico Highlands.
FLC had an excellent start, leading by nine points at the end of the first quarter and by as many as 24 points in the second quarter as the Skyhawks held a double-digit lead the entire second half.
“The key was all in the mentality,” Zuniga said. “The ladies knew how important the game was, and how they needed to respond.”
FLC improved to 14-8 overall and 7-7 in the RMAC after shooting 48% from the field, 35% from 3-point range and 73% from the free-throw line. It was an important RMAC win for the Skyhawks that put them tied for seventh in the conference, with the top eight teams making it to the conference tournament.
Sophomore guard Katie Lamb led the Skyhawks with 23 points on 8-14 shooting from the field, 6-9 from 3-point range and 1-1 from the free-throw line. Junior Makaya Porter added 16 points off the bench.
“Katie was just being Katie,” Zuniga said. “Some sets were for her, but I thought she did a good job moving off the ball; she had great spacing, and her teammates found her.
New Mexico Highlands dropped to 10-11 overall and 6-8 in the RMAC after it shot 34% from the field, 25% from 3-point range and 68% from the free-throw line. Kamalani Anitelu led the Cowgirls with 15 points on 6-12 shooting from the field and 3-6 from 3-point range.
FLC jumped out to a 6-0 lead early in the first quarter and led 19-10 after the first. In the second quarter, the Skyhawks went on an 18-3 run to have a 43-19 lead with 3:33 left.
“We were playing in rhythm and confident,” Zuniga said. “It felt like a completely different game than Adams. Everyone on the floor was moving the ball, and we pushed in transition, which helped.”
The Skyhawks led 59-43 after three quarters to cruise to victory. FLC plays Colorado Mesa on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The Mavericks are 24-1 overall, 14-0 in the RMAC and ranked fourth in Division II. Zuniga said the Mavericks are extremely physical and well-disciplined. She thinks FLC’s pressure will give the Skyhawks a chance to win.
Softball loses all five games at UCO-OC Classic
The FLC softball team did not have a successful trip to Edmond, Oklahoma, last week, losing all five games as part of the UCO-OC Classic, hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma.
FLC dropped to 1-9 overall to finish its non-conference schedule. The Skyhawks started by losing to Oklahoma Baptist University, 7-1, on Friday, and they finished Friday by losing to No. 11 University of Central Oklahoma, 5-0.
On Saturday, FLC lost its closest game of the trip, 8-5, against Cameron University, before losing to No. 25 Oklahoma Christian University, 7-1, to finish Saturday. The trip ended with a 12-3 loss to Eastern New Mexico University on Sunday.
The Skyhawks look to bounce back to begin RMAC play with a four-game series at MSU Denver, starting on Friday at noon.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
