After two decades of a back-and-forth and typically tight basketball rivalry, this doesn’t happen very often.
Colorado Mesa beat Fort Lewis College on Friday night in Grand Junction – by a lot, 93-67.
“After 20 years ... I’m extremely disappointed,” said men’s basketball head coach Bob Hofman, who couldn’t remember the last time these two programs played a lopsided game.
“The bottom line is, defensively, we have to get a lot better,” Hofman said. “I think we are so reliant on Alex (Herrera); we have to guard the ball.”
Herrera, the Skyhawks’ anchor in the post and shot-blocking specialist, was triple-teamed all night.
Ryan Stephan scored a game-high 21 points and had 13 rebounds in the win.
Jason Smith led FLC with 15 points.
On the glass, the Mavericks “dominated” the Skyhawks 47-23.
From the floor, the Mavericks shot 33-for-59 – a 56-percent field goal percentage.
“They made some difficult shots,” said Hofman, whose team will play in Gunnison on Saturday night. “They were really good.
“It was kind of a no-hoper early in the second half. We just got to throw it away and get better.”
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