Fort Lewis College hadn’t played the same team twice in four days in the modern era of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference basketball. But that was the case Tuesday. It was all part of the bizarre sports landscape caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the second time in as many games, the Skyhawks were able to secure a 20-plus-point victory against the Western Colorado University Mountaineers. After a 89-69 win at home Saturday in a game that did not count toward conference standings, FLC (2-0, 1-0 RMAC) went on the road Tuesday and beat the Mountaineers 87-65 in Gunnison.
“Our program is so hungry that it doesn’t matter who we play,” FLC head coach Bob Pietrack said. “We’re gonna play as hard as we can and together as possible. I told the boys tonight to play every game in this coronavirus season like its your last. It doesn’t matter who you play, when you played them last, play every game like it is your last because it might be.”
Preseason All-American Riley Farris had 24 points to lead the Skyhawks. He was 7-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range. He also made 7-of-8 foul shots on a night in which he had seven rebounds and continued to pass the ball well out of the post to his open teammates.
“People who have watched Riley in our program are seeing the full blossoming of a great player these last two games,” Pietrack said. “He’s completely bought into winning. Riley doesn’t care about stats, he only cares about winning. Some of the frustration people saw last year from him was because he wants to win so bad. But he believes in his teammates and is sharing the ball. And then anytime it got close tonight, the All-American showed up.”
Dunnell “Scottie” Stafford backed up his 18-point performance in his FLC debut on Saturday with a 15-point game Tuesday. He was 6-of-9 shooting.
Also in double-digit scoring for FLC was point guard Cesar Molina, who had 12 points and made 3-of-5 shots from 3-point range. He made back-to-back 3s in the game’s opening minutes, as did Farris, to set the tone and help the Skyhawks storm out to a 20-4 lead.
Sophomore guard Akuel Kot added another 10 points for FLC on 4-of-6 shooting. Western Colorado trailed only 51-44 with 15:22 to play after an 8-0 run when Pietrack called for a timeout. After the break, Kot made his only 3-point attempt of the night to restore a double-digit lead the Skyhawks wouldn’t relinquish.
“We drew that play in the timeout. Farris was out, and they were smaller,” Pietrack said. “We had to make sure we got a good shot, and Akuel is a clutch player. It worked, and Akuel knocked it down.”
FLC continued to see strong play out of Will Wittman, Corey Seng and Tyler Kinghorn, who combined for 20 points and 15 rebounds. Junior forward Brendan La Rose led the team with nine rebounds.
“I can’t say enough about Will Wittman and Corey Seng and the job they’re doing defensively,” Pietrack said. “They are guys who do everything right, play their tails off, move the ball and do everything it takes to have a good team. We are excited about this team and where this can go for us.”
The Skyhawks shot 50.8% from the field, made 9-of-19 from 3 and went 18-of-25 at the foul line. FLC also won the rebound battle 42-36.
Matthew Ragsdale and Jaelan McCloud led Western Colorado with 13 points each. Cole Sienknecht added 12 points, four rebounds and three assists. Ehrlin Jackson, who had double digits in the first game against FLC, was held to eight points on 2-of-12 shooting. He was 4-of-4 at the foul line. He did make an impact in rebounding with 11, while Avery Rembao had eight points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Mountaineers.
With two strong performances on both ends of the floor to open the season, the Skyhawks will hope to get a fresh opponent at 5 p.m. Saturday at Colorado Christian (0-2, 0-2 RMAC). Both teams must past COVID-19 testing Friday ahead of the game.
“We have lost there two years in a row. It’s been heartbreak hotel anytime we’ve gone to Lakewood,” Pietrack said. “Our group is determined to flip the script.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
