The 29th consecutive home win for Fort Lewis College was nearly over before it even started.
It took 2½ minutes for the 12th-ranked Skyhawks (21-3, 16-2 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) to take a double-digit lead Saturday against Western State, and it only got worse for the visitors. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Skyhawks nailed down their ninth consecutive win, extended their record home win streak, and will look to make it 30 in a row Saturday against Colorado Mesa.
“They scored 103 points on us last time in Gunnison, so we wanted to extend our pressure a little bit,” Fort Lewis head coach Bob Pietrack said. “We kept them well below their average of points per game, and they’re one of the better scoring teams in the league, so, on that front, it was a very good night.”
Junior forward Rasmus Bach led Fort Lewis with 24 points, and he was hot from the opening tip. At one point, Bach scored 10 consecutive points in the first half to help build a 50-33 halftime lead for the hosts.
“It’s nice coming back home and getting into the practice routine at Whalen,” Bach said. “I feel like it’s easier to get my legs back under me not having to travel six hours or whatever.”
Bach, who seems to be fully recovered from offseason knee surgery, has improved every game, and fellow Austin, Texas, teammate Will Morse has been on the same trajectory. Morse, who has been battling a nagging foot injury for much of the year, finished with a double-double as he racked up 11 points and dished out 10 assists in the win.
“Everyone’s been a little banged up, but that’s just what happens to everyone during the season,” Morse said.
The point guard continues to lead the league in assists and, with 10 more Friday, he proved once again that he’s become one of the best facilitators in the RMAC.
“We have a lot of guys that can score, and that obviously helps with the assist numbers,” he said. “It also means that we need a facilitator and I’ve embraced that role.”
Bach, Morse and the rest of the Skyhawks continued the blistering pace into the second half and cruised to the 25-point win. They out-rebounded the Mountaineers (5-17, 4-14 RMAC) 37-28 and carried a 19-3 advantage in second chance points.
Brandon Wilson scored 15 points, one off his career high, and Joshua Blaylock poured in 16.
Fort Lewis will take on rival Colorado Mesa at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
“We’re playing a rival tomorrow, let’s make no mistake about it,” Pietrack said. “It’s been that way for 20 years and you can throw the records out. It’ll be a good basketball game and we’re excited about playing here at the Whalen.”
jfries@durangoherald.com
