Fort Lewis College fought as hard as it could to eliminate double-digit deficits multiple times in the second half after it trailed by 13 at halftime. Christian Little made sure the Skyhawks would never get within a single possession, though.
Little, the Regis senior guard who has tormented FLC for three years, caught fire after the visiting Skyhawks got within 71-66 with 7 minutes, 46 seconds to play. Little scored 10 points in a flash, and the Regis lead boomed to 84-69 with 4:11 to play.
That deficit was too much for FLC (13-10, 7-10 RMAC) to try to overcome once more, as Regis (14-9, 9-8 RMAC) would secure a 90-77 home win Saturday evening in Denver.
Little finished with a game-high 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting. He made 3-of-4 from 3-point range, including two in a row to help put the game away.
“He really took over the game,” FLC head coach Bob Pietrack said of Little. “We cut it to five and had all the momentum and thought we had a real chance to steal a game on the road, and he kind of took it over. He was special good and took over the game.”
It was the 3-point shooting of FLC senior Danny Garrick that helped get FLC back in the game. He made three in the second half and finished with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting that included 5-of-7 from 3.
“I was really proud of our team because I thought we could have folded and we absolutely did not,” Pietrack said. “We fought really hard. I credit our guys. They’re competitive. We’re young and we’re going through a real tough time right now, which is obvious, but I was proud of our team tonight because they fought on the back end on short rest. It’s not an easy deal.”
But the Skyhawks’ defense once again wasn’t good enough to dig out from big holes, as FLC allowed 90 or more points in a fourth consecutive game for a fourth loss in a row.
Riley Farris led FLC with 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Also in double-digit scoring for the Skyhawks was point guard Logan Hokanson with 16 points to go with six assists but six turnovers. Will Wittman added 10 points. Brenden Boatwright finished with eight points and five rebounds off the bench.
Regis received another 15 points and seven rebounds from Toni Rocak. Donald Gipson gave FLC problems with 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers. Aaron Bokol had 10 points, including a big 3 that gave Regis a 7-0 run to make it 78-66.
FLC limited Regis to 8-of-17 from 3-point range and made 9-of-24, but turnovers and rebounding were key. FLC was outrebounded 41-25 and allowed Regis 15 offensive rebounds for 13 second-chance points. FLC also had 14 turnovers that led to 14 Regis points.
“The rebounding was glaring. The turnovers, when you’re down the whole game and trying to make a run, sometimes you over press,” Pietrack said. “With rebounding, you can’t be negative 16. It’s hard. They’re a good ball club.”
The Skyhawks will stay on the road for two more on another brutally tough road trip Friday and Saturday at Westminster College and Dixie State in Utah.
“We prepare every game like it’s an RMAC championship game. That’s how our program does it,” Pietrack said. “We will continue to prepare to play and do the best we can. Hopefully, we can get a little bit better each week and try to carry some momentum into the next week. We obviously have a really brutal road trip coming. It doesn’t get any easier for us. It’s just hard right now.”
FLC is now likely out of the chase for the eight-team RMAC tournament for a second consecutive year. But FLC has won 13 games despite completely rebuilding the roster from a year ago, and Pietrack is optimistic about his young squad that will lose only one senior in Garrick going into next year.
This year’s roster also has been hampered by the early-season injury to backup point guard Cesar Molina and a late NCAA ruling that never allowed Robbie Berwick, a Florida State and Colorado State transfer, eligibility to play one more season after FLC recruited him in the offseason.
“We’re having some guys who haven’t been in the program very long with leadership. We had Hokanson step up and Corey Seng. I know it looks bleak right now, legitimately, but I’m still really positive about where our program is and where we can get to,” Pietrack said. “When you reset the program like we did and then lose Cesar (Molina) and the Berwick thing, we’re just so dang young. We’re growing. I like where this team is going.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
