For the second consecutive night, the Fort Lewis College men’s basketball team put on a show in the first half and left the opponents with nothing else to do but shake their heads.
When the buzzer sounded on the opening half, South Dakota Mines head coach Jason Henry asked his assistant a question: “When was the last time they missed?”
Fort Lewis (15-3, 10-2 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) shot a blistering 74.1 percent from the floor on 20-for-27 shooting in the opening half and poured in 8-of-12 attempts from behind the 3-point line in the first 20 minutes.
The stretch of play carried the Skyhawks to a double-digit halftime lead, and it only got worse for the visitors after that, as FLC won its 26th consecutive home game, 98-75.
Joshua Blaylock led all scorers with 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the floor. Alex Semadeni scored 13 of his career-high 15 points in the second half to bury any comeback hopes the Hardrockers (9-9, 5-7 RMAC) might have had. Rasmus Bach also added 17 points, as the three Skyhawks combined to go 23-for-29 on the night.
“South Dakota Mines has beaten some of the league’s best teams, so we came in to this one ready for a fight,” Fort Lewis head coach Bob Pietrack said. “I’m proud of the way the guys responded to the challenge in the first half and really carried it through to the second.”
The Hardrockers came into the contest having already notched wins against CSU-Pueblo, Colorado Christian and Colorado Mines, so the Skyhawks were intent on putting the game away early.
The first half offensive barrage led to a 50-37 halftime lead for Fort Lewis, but the Hardrockers didn’t fold up shop. South Dakota Mines kept the lead from getting out of hand for much of the second half. The Hardrockers just couldn’t hold down the Fort Lewis offense, particularly Semadeni, long enough to make it a game down the stretch.
Semadeni, who was moved to a reserve role in an effort to keep him out of early foul trouble, showed his versatility in the second half. The redshirt sophomore from Fort Collins did damage in the paint and buried mid-range jumpers with ease to crush the visitor’s comeback hopes.
“I honestly think it was the ball movement that got us going,” Semadeni said. “We were all moving well, and I think all my points were assisted by someone. That just speaks to how good the ball movement was.”
Much of the credit for the offensive efficiency should go to point guard Will Morse. The senior used his exceptional vision and an advanced basketball mind to find open teammates repeatedly. Morse, known by teammates as “The Computer,” finished with 10 assists.
Saturday’s win was the 26th consecutive home victory for the Skyhawks. After another weekend sweep in which FLC won by a combined 41 points, the defending RMAC champions are at the top of the standings and improving each night.
“We’re not even close to hitting our ceiling yet, and that’s the scary part,” Bach said. “I feel like we still have a lot of improvement left to do taking care of the ball and rebounding better. It’s scary to think of how good we could be if we start doing those things just a little bit better.”
The Skyhawks will need to be better against Regis at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and they’re thirsty for revenge. On New Year’s Eve, the Rangers delivered the first loss to FLC against a league opponent since last January, ending the team’s 12-game winning streak and snapping their RMAC win streak at 22 games.
jfries@durangoherald.com
RMAC Standings
Note: NABC Coaches poll rankings in parentheses.
Fort Lewis (RV) 10-2 Colorado Mines 10-2 CSU-Pueblo 9-2 Colorado Christian 8-3 Westminster 7-4 Regis 6-4 Metro State 6-4 UC-Colorado Springs 5-6 South Dakota Mines 5-7 Adams State 5-7 N.M. Highlands 4-7 Western State 3-8 Colorado Mesa 2-9
Chadron State 2-9 Black Hills State 2-10
