For all the attention on the new Fort Lewis College men’s basketball players, it was an unheralded fourth-year Skyhawk who paired with a fifth-year star in the season opener Saturday.
Cesar Molina, a redshirt junior from Las Cruces, New Mexico, played a career game with FLC’s starting guards dealing with foul trouble against Western New Mexico. He helped turn a 47-44 halftime lead for the Skyhawks into a 91-78 win.
Molina scored 13 points – one shy of his career high of 14 scored against Haskell Indian Nations University a year ago – to pair with redshirt junior Riley Farris’ game-high 26 points to help FLC win the opener inside Whalen Gymnasium in Durango.
“As a program, we could not be more proud of how Cesar played tonight,” FLC head coach Bob Pietrack said. “He stayed determined, hasn’t got discouraged in his career. When his number was called today, he was special good.
“If there was a game ball, obviously Farris was outstanding, but Molina’s energy, his effort, that’s the essence of a program player.”
It was a breakthrough performance for a guard who had struggled to find his place in the Skyhawks’ rotation the previous two seasons. The former Gatorade Player of the Year in New Mexico had averaged only 1.7 points per game during his career.
“I’m just thankful to be here,” Molina said. “I tell the guys all the time it’s about having each other’s back. I was glad I was able to help them out when they needed it most.
“I’m feeling pretty confident. We’ve been working for a long time, and I’m in good shape. There’s nothing to be nervous about. I was prepared, and that’s why I was able to play the way I did.”
FLC’s newcomers played their part, too. Freshman Akuel Kot had a big second half and finished with 14 points, four rebounds and two steals. Senior Danny Garrick finished with 17 points, four rebounds ad three steals.
“If that’s Game 1 for Akuel Kot of what’s going to be 120 games, I’m excited to see the next 119 of them,” Pietrack said. “Garrick, he was a senior. He hit a big 3 and had big free throws and rebounds down the stretch, and that’s what you expect from a senior.”
In a 61-61 game with 12:20 to play, FLC went on a 10-2 run behind Farris and Kot. Farris made four big free throws, while Kot hit a corner 3-point shot after he had made a free throw to make it 71-63 with 9:26 to play.
Molina then made consecutive layups followed by a 3 from point guard Logan Hokanson that saw FLC build a 78-65 lead.
The big second-half run came after a dicey first half. Elijah Holifield of Western New Mexico was cooking with 20 first-half points. But FLC slowed him down at the end of the half with stifling defense from sophomore Levy Miguel. That gave FLC more of a blueprint to follow when guarding Holifield in the second half, and the Skyhawks limited him to only four points the rest of the way.
Though Holifield was red hot, Farris matched him most of the way with 16 first-half points.
“Really just needed to match energy,” Farris said. “If someone is in a flow like that, it is what it is. We just had to move the ball on our end and execute.”
Farris is back from a shoulder injury that took him out of last season. He instantly showed he can be the go-to scoring threat the Skyhawks so badly needed a year ago.
“For anybody who didn’t realize what a big loss it was last year when we lost Farris, I think they pretty quickly realized he’s an all-region caliber player,” Pietrack said. “He has a lot to prove. He had a point per minute tonight. That’s pretty good.”
A big turning point came in the final four minutes of the first half. With Kot, Logan Hokanson and Will Wittman all with two fouls, FLC had to turn to its bench. Molina scored six points in that span to give FLC a 47-44 halftime lead.
“He’s been working so hard for four years,” Farris said of Molina. “He’s probably the best person out here. He’s a great leader, and what else can you ask for on the floor than what he did? He brings so much energy to this team. It doesn’t matter if he has bad days, he brings energy to us every day.”
The Skyhawks (1-0) will have a big task ahead at 4 p.m. Sunday against Eastern New Mexico, a team that finished fifth last year in the Lone Star Conference and features a loaded roster filled with size and athleticism.
“We will have to work extremely hard tomorrow to combat their size and overall quickness,” Pietrack said. “We gotta play a lot better than we did tonight. You can’t turn the ball over 13 times. They are a regional-tournament type team. As the season goes on, you’re gonna need to play teams like that. It’s good to play them early.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
