The last run of substance belonged to CSU-Pueblo.
And try as they might, the Skyhawks just couldn’t quite make up the distance.
The ThunderWolves used a 13-4 run in the second half to help facilitate a 10-point lead, and the Fort Lewis College men’s basketball team’s late rally came up a whisker shy of pulling even in a 93-87 loss Saturday at Whalen Gymnasium.
The catalyst for CSU-Pueblo, both in a hot start that saw them go up 19 in the first half and in holding FLC off late, was Nate Tigner, who scored 21 points in the second half en route to a 32-point night to go with nine assists and six rebounds.
Tigner scored nine of the ThunderWolves’ final 17 points of the game, the biggest coming via two free throws with 14 seconds to play to lift the lead from two to four points at 91-87.
“It’s tough. We weren’t too worried about him making outside shots, but once they started hitting them, it just started to snowball. ... Tigner hit a couple; everybody hit a couple,” FLC guard Mike Matthews said.
Nick Tomsick had a solid look at a 3-pointer on the next possession but couldn’t connect from the corner, and Tigner’s final two free throws sealed the deal with 3 seconds left.
Tomsick was near the top of the scoresheet again, follwing up Friday’s 34-point effort with 22 more points and seven rebounds.
Alex Herrera led FLC with 25 points and 10 rebounds on 10-of-19 shooting while absorbing all the physicality CSU-Pueblo (4-2, 2-0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) threw at him.
“Alex goes through a lot on every possession,” FLC head coach Bob Hofman said.
The Skyhawks also received a stellar effort from the bench, particularly Matthews, who filled the statsheet with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists to go with strong defense, providing the tertiary scoring FLC is hoping to get on a consistent basis.
JoeBell Austin added 11 points for FLC (4-2, 1-1 RMAC).
CSU-Pueblo started off scalding hot on a cold night in Durango. The ThunderWolves hit 3s on four consecutive possessions – three by Devonte Malcolm, who had 14 points – and used a 16-0 run to lead by 19 points early.
“Our energy got sapped a little bit when they shot the ball so well,” Hofman said. “They just came out and played superb in every phase of the game early. And I was really proud of our guys for the way we fought back and built a little bit of a lead.”
The Skyhawks, however, would respond, ending the half on a 25-7 run to lead 46-44 at intermission.
FLC, though, couldn’t quite shake the hot-shooting ThunderWolves in the second half.
CSU-Pueblo shot 52 percent to 46 for FLC, and the ThunderWolves hit 13-of-30 from 3-point range against 8-of-20 for FLC.
“I just think all game, we did a good job trying to answer their runs,” Tomsick said. “We were just one stop defensively short, one rebound short, one loose ball short.”
rowens@ durangoherald.com
