Before the Fort Lewis men’s basketball team hosted CSU Pueblo on Friday, the team had only played one game in 2022. On Jan. 4, the Skyhawks were upset by South Dakota Mines, 94-78, in Rapid City.

With the team’s next three games getting postponed because of COVID protocols within the RMAC, the Skyhawks had to wait until Friday for the opportunity to rinse the bad taste out of their mouth after the Hardrocker loss.

Against CSU Pueblo, Fort Lewis never trailed en route to a 85-76 victory, getting big efforts from multiple players to get back on track.

FLC came out on fire and jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Junior Garbrah later made back-to-back 3-pointers that put FLC up 27-12. The Thunderwolves, however, rallied late to only go into halftime trailing 33-30.

In the second half, Brenden Boatwright drew two charges on back-to-back CSU Pueblo possessions while making baskets at the other end, putting FLC up 52-43.

Will Wittman returned the court for FLC for the first time since getting hurt Dec. 17 against Regis. Wittman got the crowd excited with a slam dunk. Boatwright also had some slams in the game, including a follow-up jam that put FLC up 81-72.

Boatwright finished with 19 points. Riley Farris, who entered the game averaging 19.8 points per game, also scored 19.

Akuel Kot and Jacquess Hobbs also scored in double digits, with both players scoring 12 points.

The game was the 102nd all-time meeting between the two teams, with FLC now holding a 52-49 advantage before the game and a 33-15 mark in Durango. CSU Pueblo hasn’t won in Durango since 2016.

FLC is now 9-5 overall and 5-3 in the RMAC. CSU Pueblo slipped to 8-9, 5-6.

The Skyhawks will be back in action on Saturday against Adams State (7-8, 3-6). Fort Lewis will host he Grizzlies at 7 p.m. That game will be the 128th game between the two teams, making it Fort Lewis’ longest tenured rivalry. FLC leads the series 71-56, including a 38-15 record in Durango. Adams, however, won last year’s game at Whalen, 74-69, as the two teams have split the season series the past two years.