It took a miracle shot to beat the No. 16 Fort Lewis College men’s basketball team in the season opener.
Eastern New Mexico and the Skyhawks clashed Saturday afternoon at newly named Dreamstyle Arena, more famously known as The Pit, in Albuquerque. At the buzzer, Lamarquis Thompson hit a game-winning 3-pointer for the Greyhounds. He was trapped in the corner and falling out of bounds and threw up a prayer, and it went in to send Eastern New Mexico to a 73-72 victory.
“We found out a lot about our team, but we’re obviously disappointed,” FLC head coach Bob Pietrack said. “We hit two free throws to go up, got a rebound but then turned it over. We had a perfect trap in the corner, but Thompson hit a falling down 3-pointer to win it. He had a great game and made an impossible shot.”
FLC (0-1) had 12 turnovers in the game, none more costly than the last one that gave the Greyhounds (1-0) possession.
The teams were tied at 34-34 at halftime, and FLC trailed 20-10 early before mounting a comeback.
Thompson scored a game-high 23 points for the Greyhounds and had a game-high 13 rebounds. Jamani Pierce added 21 points and eight rebounds.
FLC was led in scoring by senior Rasmus Bach, who scored 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-7 from the 3-point line. He also made all four of his free throws.
Marquel Beasley notched a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds in his Skyhawks debut. He was 7-of-15 shooting and grabbed five offensive rebounds. He also blocked two shots.
Brandon Wilson had three blocked shot, six points and eight rebounds for FLC. Riley Farris scored nine points off the bench on 4-of-7 shooting but missed both of his free throws. As a team, FLC only went 12-of-19 from the free-throw line.
“We’re going to be a work in progress for awhile,” Pietrack said. “The team has a lot of potential, but we’re integrating a lot of new pieces and have to figure out how to get there.”
FLC will stay in Albuquerque to play Western New Mexico at 3 p.m. Sunday.
“It’s another Lone Star Conference team we have to be ready to go against,” Pietrack said. “Win or lose, you have to be ready for the next game.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
