Six days after the Skyhawks couldn’t buy a basket, everything they shot seemed to find the bottom of the twine.
Feeling uneasy after a 36-point loss at Metro State last Saturday, the Fort Lewis College men’s basketball team came out with the response head coach Bob Hofman had hoped to see: a lopsided victory back on their home floor at Whalen Gymnasium against the Colorado Christian Cougars.
Colorado Christian entered the game with the best 3-point shooter in the conference in Michael Brown, but it was the 3-point sooting of the Skyhawks that stole the show, as they made 10-of-22 on the way to a 92-79 victory.
“Our program is built out of bricks. What we mean by bricks is we have players that love each other, we’ve got players that are invested in the program, and we’ve got players that love Fort Lewis College. As far as bouncing back or playing better, it’s really not about the win or loss,” FLC associate head coach Bob Pietrack said. “It’s about the energy and enthusiasm with which you play, ad we preach that in our program. We had good energy and good enthusiasm, and the result took care of itself.”
FLC (14-4, 9-3 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) made 8-of-13 shots from 3 in the first half, with six different players connecting to help the Skyhawks to a 44-29 lead at the break. Junior guard Cade Kloster buried a 3 as the halftime horn sounded, giving the Skyhawks resounding confidence. He went on to score 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting.
“It was nice to see some shots fall,” Kloster said. “It was good that we were making the extra pass, playing together as a team and finding the open man.”
FLC senior center Alex Herrera enjoyed the extra space in the paint created by the Skyhawks’ hot shooting from the perimeter, as he scored a game-high 32 points while grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking three shots. He made 6-of-12 shots from the field and 20-of-26 free throws, adding to his nation-leading numbers from the free-throw line. The free throws made and attempted were career-highs for Herrera.
“I give the guards credit, they really loosened it up for me in the first half,” Herrera said. “I don’t think teams come in saying to intentionally foul, I just don’t think people can help themselves sometimes.”
The Skyhawks also received a big contribution from fourth-year junior guard Jared Smith, who broke out of a recent offensive shell with 10 points.
“I think we’re a formidable team,” Pietrack said. “Outside of the first half, a really bad half at Metro, we have been formidable. We’d like to think we’re going to be formidable and be a team that’s going to be reckoned with the rest of the way.”
FLC decided to start a taller lineup Friday night, with junior transfer Austin Haldorson entering the starting lineup alongside Herrera and three guards. It helped the Skyhawks win matchups inside early. Haldorson finished with only three points but had seven big rebounds to go with four assists and two blocked shots.
Rasmus Bach had a big night for FLC, as the redshirt freshman guard scored 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor and 7-of-9 from the free-throw lines. Guard Will Morse also scored 10 points off the bench.
The second half turned into a free-throw shooting struggle, with FLC going 38-of-49 from the line in the game. Colorado Christian made 18-of-20.
The Cougars (9-9, 6-6 RMAC) were led by Brown’s 22 points on 6-of-7 3-point shooting. Wayne McCullough scored a team-high 23 points, and Nolan Holmes added 14. The Cougars shot 41.9 percent from the field in the game.
FLC will turnaround and host the No. 9 team in the country at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, when Colorado Mines steps into Whalen Gymnasium.
“We just gotta come out with energy, come out and play together is the big thing,” Kloster said. “Swing the ball around from corner to corner and get (Herrera) open inside. We’re gonna have to come out and play hard, bring energy.”
“We’d love to see everybody out,” Herrera said of the fans.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
