Few teams have played each other the last three years at Fort Lewis and Colorado State University-Pueblo.
The two men’s basketball teams have faced each other nine times the previous three seasons after meeting in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament each of those years. Fort Lewis has a slim 5-4 advantage in those previous meetings going into Friday night’s RMAC season opener at Whalen Gymnasium in Durango.
“They are a scary team to play against,” said FLC head coach Bob Pietrack. “They score the ball so well, and they’re in every game.”
Though the ThunderWolves enter the season with a 2-3 overall record, no team in the country has played a tougher schedule, Pietrack said. CSU-Pueblo beat previously seventh-ranked Tarleton State 79-78 on the road and already owns a win against UC-Colorado Springs.
The ThunderWolves’ three losses have come by a combined 11 points.
“They’ve played five very tough Division II teams,” Pietrack said. “They’re averaging 83 points per game, so they’re one of the top teams in the league. It should be entertaining and exciting.”
FLC enters the game with a 5-1 overall record and has won five in a row after a tough season-opening loss to No. 24 West Texas A&M. The Skyhawks enter the game ranked 20th in the NABC poll and have been in the top 25 for a program record 14 consecutive weeks.
The Skyhawks will go for a record 22nd consecutive home win when the game tips off a 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
It won’t come easy. CSU-Pueblo junior guard Will Newman has given the Skyhawks fits in recent years and enters the game averaging 13.4 points per game. Mark Williams is a talented junior forward leading his team with 16.6 points and five rebounds per game. Pietrack is also wary of sophomore guard Gavin Ligget, who scored 12 points per game.
“Newman has made a career of having big games against us,” Pietrack said. “He hit six 3s inside the Whalen last time we played. Ligget is the same.”
FLC will turn to senior All-American candidate Joshua Blaylock at guard. He enters the game averaging 16.8 points per game. Rasmus Bach has been brilliant so far this season with 16 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. The Skyhawks are without third leading scorer Riley Farris the rest of the season with a knee injury, but transfer center Brandon Wilson stepped up big last week to win the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week award.
Add a group of experienced veterans such as Will Morse to a terrific group of new players, and the Skyhawks again have their sights set on sweeping the RMAC regular season and tournament championships.
But it all starts Friday night against the ThunderWolves.
“Rebounding is the key,” Pietrack said. “We have to rebound the ball to have success.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
If you go
Who:
CSU-Pueblo at No. 20 Fort Lewis
What:
RMAC men’s basketball
When:
7:30 p.m. Friday
Where:
Whalen Gymnasium, FLC campus
Listen Live:
KIUP 930 AM, 97.3, 106.3 FM
Twitter:
@The7thFreezer
