December was a good month for both Fort Lewis basketball programs.
The men’s team went 5-0 in December and is 9-1 overall. The women’s team went 4-1 in December and improved to 7-4, which is the team’s best start during the Taylor Harris era.
Now that both teams are off until the first week of January, it’s time to take another look at how Fort Lewis stacks up nationally in Division II and in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in major statistical categories through roughly a third of the season.
This series, which started earlier this month, will continue as the Skyhawks’ seasons progress.
Points Per Game
The Fort Lewis men’s team has been rolling, averaging 85.1 points per game this season, which is first in the RMAC out of 15 schools and 35th in Division II out of 287 schools.
Junior guard Obi Agbim is leading the Skyhawks in scoring with 14.1 points per game. Skyhawks coach Bob Pietrack has stated this is the deepest team he’s had at Fort Lewis, and the numbers back up his statement. Ten players play more than 11 minutes per game with all of those players averaging at least 5.4 points per game.
In December, the Skyhawks scored 85 points in all five games, which raised its scoring average from 77.6 to 85.1 points per game.
Fort Lewis has weapons at all positions and can score from anywhere on the court.
On the women’s side, their scoring average has dropped a bit since the first instillation of this series.
After averaging 66.3 points per game in November, Fort Lewis averaged 62.2 points per game in December. The Skyhawks are averaging 64.5 points per game overall, which is eighth in the RMAC and 174th in Division II out of 291 schools.
Lineup fluctuation is a reason for the dip in scoring.
Forwards Kelsey Sorenson, Lilly Pepper and Sydney Bevington have all missed numerous games. Sorenson is averaging a team-high 13.7 points per game in six games.
Another reason is increased competition, as Fort Lewis played two games against Lincoln University in November which is unaffiliated with any division of college basketball. RMAC play is also underway, which leads to closer games and better defense.
Points Per Game Allowed
The Fort Lewis men’s team is allowing 68.1 points per game on defense, which second in the RMAC and 47th in Division II. This figure is slightly down from the 68.6 points per game the Skyhawks allowed through November.
Length, athleticism and depth have been key factors on defense so far for Fort Lewis. The Skyhawks press the entire game and cause chaos for opposing offenses.
Defense has propelled the Fort Lewis’ women’s team to a 7-4 record. The Skyhawks are second in the RMAC and 30th in the country in points allowed per game at 57.3. Fort Lewis has allowed more points since November, but ranks better in Division II than it did in November.
For all 40 minutes, the Skyhawks employ a frenetic full-court press, which continues to stupefy offenses and is the main reason behind Fort Lewis’ success.
Field Goal Percentage
The men’s squad has improved its shooting percentage through December.
The Skyhawks are now seventh in the RMAC and 111th in Division II with a field goal percentage of 46.41%. That percentage is a 3.89% improvement from November.
Senior center Sekou Dembele leads Fort Lewis rotation players with a field goal percentage of 59.5%.
The Skyhawks played with great pace and shared the ball well in December, which helped increase the team’s field goal percentage.
After being last in the RMAC in field goal percentage at 34.97% through November, the Fort Lewis women improved to 13th in the RMAC and 235th in Division II with a field goal percentage of 36.57% going into January.
The guards are taking better care of the ball, and Fort Lewis is making more open shots than it was early in the season. Redshirt junior forward Lilly Pepper is leading the Skyhawks with a 53% field goal percentage in five games played.
3-Point Percentage
The men’s team has improved from beyond the arc.
Heading into January, they are ranked fifth in the RMAC and 110th in the country at 35.32%, despite junior guard Tristan Hurdle’s percentages taking a dip from 73% to 49%.
Entering December, Fort Lewis shot 32.67% from downtown and was 11th in the RMAC and 175th nationwide.
Senior guard Junior Garbrah is shooting 50% from deep and players like junior guard Samier Kinsler and junior forward Isaiah Thompson are shooting the ball better as well.
The women’s team has also improved from beyond the arc.
Fort Lewis is now 11th in the RMAC and 190th in Division II with a 3-point percentage of 28.51%.
Fort Lewis shot 27.7% from beyond the arc, which was 12th in the RMAC, entering December.
Sophomore guard Lanae Billy isn’t shooting the ball like she did last season, but sophomore forward Kate Gallery has become a weapon from outside. Junior forward Samantha Wattawa leads the team by shooting 34.8% from beyond the arc.
Rebounding Margin
The rebounding margin hasn’t changed much for the Fort Lewis men since the end of November.
The Skyhawks continue to out-rebound their opponents by 4.8 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the RMAC and it ranks 51st in Division II. Junior Brayden Carter leads Fort Lewis with 6.3 rebounds per game.
On the women’s side, Fort Lewis still struggles to rebound off its 2-3 zone defense, which isn’t surprising. It’s harder to rebound an area in a zone than to box out someone playing man-to-man.
Entering January, the Skyhawks’ margin of minus-4.4 rebounds per game ranks 13th in the RMAC and 231st in Division II. This is a drastic decline from outrebounding their opponents by a margin of plus-1.7, which was fifth in the RMAC, entering December.
Fort Lewis has run into teams with more size in the RMAC and has been without Sorenson, Pepper and Bevington for numerous games.
Bevington, which is leading the team with 8.7 rebounds per game in six games played, is also out for the remainder of the season after having ankle surgery.
Turnover Margin
Both the men’s and women’s team have been elite not only in forcing turnovers, but also taking care of the ball.
The men are first in the RMAC and 10th in Division II with a margin of plus-6.3 per game, which is a big increase from the plus-2.2 margin through November. Senior guard Malik Whitaker is leading the Skyhawks with 1.8 steals per game.
Turnovers have been one of the biggest keys to the women’s success this season. Fort Lewis is second in the RMAC and 17th in Division II with a plus-6.27 turnover margin, an improvement from the plus-5.17 margin it had through November, as the Skyhawks have taken better care of the ball at the defensive end.
Sophomore guard Lanae Billy is leading Fort Lewis with 3.54 steals per game.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
