Rebounding from a gut-wrenching season-opening loss wasn’t a problem for the 16th ranked Fort Lewis College men’s basketball team.
The Skyhawks (1-1) opened the season with two games at the University of New Mexico’s Dreamstyle Arena, famously known as The Pit. Twenty-four hours after losing on a miracle 3-pointer at the buzzer against Eastern New Mexico, FLC rolled to a 75-62 win Sunday against Western New Mexico (0-2).
“I’m happy with the guys being resilient after a really, really difficult loss,” FLC head coach Bob Pietrack said. “We had won (Saturday’s) game twice before we lost it. Tonight, all the guys contributed.”
Daniel Hernandez scored 19 points and grabbed five rebounds from his guard position. The senior was 7-of-10 shooting, including 5-of-7 from behind the 3-point line. Senior center Brandon Wilson had a double-double of 10 points and 15 rebounds. Senior forward Rasmus Bach had 11 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore forward Riley Farris had nine points and five rebounds off the bench.
FLC only shot 32.4 percent in the first half but improved with a 46.7 percent second half. The Skyhawks made 9-of-22 attempts from 3 and 16-of-25 free throws.
The Skyhawks dominated the boards with 52 rebounds to 38 for the Mustangs.
Willie McCray led Western New Mexico with 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
In Saturday’s game, it was Lamarquis Thompson who scored 23 points and 13 rebounds for Eastern New Mexico. He hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer while trapped in the corner by the FLC defense. While he fell out of bounds, Thompson threw up a prayer that fell for the game winner in a 73-72 game.
“We’re a little sloppy right now,” Pietrack said, referencing the team’s 29 turnovers in its first two games. “We’re not as good as we’re gonna be here shortly. Breaking in new guards is hard. Will Morse and Josh Blaylock were so ball dominant. We find ourselves putting in new pieces now.”
Pietrack is pleased with the defense he saw during the weekend. The team gave up an average of 77 points per game last season.
“Defensively, we’re gonna be able to really guard this year,” he said. “We made a commitment in the offseason and preseason to defense. Offensively, we will be a work in progress until roles are defined more. That’s normal for college basketball early in the season.”
FLC will have its home opener at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against Northern New Mexico. FLC already owns a win against Northern New Mexico in an exhibition game this season. The No. 22 FLC women’s team (2-0) will also play Northern New Mexico at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
