The long awaited matchup between No. 11 Fort Lewis College and No. 22 Colorado School of Mines was everything it was billed to be – and more.
In the end, it didn’t go the Skyhawks’ way, as Colorado Mines watched a commanding lead collapse in the final minutes but redeemed itself in overtime with a 94-82 win. The FLC loss is the first at Whalen Gymnasium since Feb. 14, 2015, and the remarkable school-record 30-game home winning streak came to an end.
Fort Lewis’ Joshua Blaylock led all scorers with 35 points, and Rasmus Bach had a double-double 15 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out in overtime.
Two Orediggers logged double-doubles, as Caleb Waitsman had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Ben Clare finished with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Luke Schroepfer and the league’s leading scorer Gokul Natesan finished with 12 points, as seven Colorado Mines players scored in double figures.
“We’re lucky it didn’t get away from us in regulation and had the opportunity to regroup in overtime,” Colorado Mines head coach Pryor Orser said. “We got the ball back inside and started making free throws. We can’t be all rah-rah because we have to play a tough team Saturday.”
The game seemed all but over as the Orediggers had a double-digit lead for the majority of the second half. However, Natesan missed two big free throws with 21 seconds left that would have sealed the win, and Blaylock hit two clutch free throws in the final seconds to finish off an incredible comeback and send the game into overtime tied at 74.
Fort Lewis (22-4, 17-3 RMAC) ran out of gas in the extra frame, though, and Colorado Mines did what it couldn’t do in regulation at the foul line to salvage what at one time looked like a sure win.
“Hats off to Colorado Mines,” Fort Lewis head coach Bob Pietrack said. “They’re such a good team, and they earned the win. We did well to come all the way back and just got a bit tired down the stretch.”
The Orediggers ran off an early 7-0 run in the first half to grab the lead. The swarming Colorado Mines defense held Fort Lewis to a rough first-half shooting performance and a season-low 29 points in the opening 20 minutes.
Aside from Blaylock’s 13 first-half points, the rest of the usual sharpshooting Fort Lewis squad was a tough 7-for-23 from the field.
Colorado Mines (21-4, 16-3 RMAC) only held a two-point lead at halftime and came out of the locker room in the second half with the hot hand.
The Orediggers extended the lead to double digits in the first 5 minutes of the second half and kept their feet on the gas pedal. Colorado Mines hammered the Skyhawks inside possession after possession, and the Fort Lewis big men had no answer. The Orediggers finished the night with 38 points in the paint and won the rebounding battle 45-38.
Fort Lewis was able to get the lead down to seven points, but turnovers and consistent execution on the offensive end put the Skyhawks deeper into the Orediggers’ hole. The Mines lead swelled to 14 points with inside 10 minutes to play, but Fort Lewis wasn’t going down without a fight.
The Skyhawks chipped away and eventually cut the deficit down to three after six consecutive points by Bach and a 3-pointer by Blaylock. Mines pumped the lead back to six, but another Blaylock 3-pointer cut what was once a 14-point lead down to two with 21 seconds left before Blaylock’s free throws sent the game to overtime.
“Blaylock made everything down the stretch,” Orser said. “They have three of the top guards in the league, and Josh Blaylock is just unbelievable. I mean, what else can you say? He’s a once in a lifetime player.”
Fort Lewis will face Adams State at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday for senior night. After Friday’s loss, Fort Lewis and Colorado Mines sit tied at the top of the league standings each having three losses. Colorado Mines has three games left. They’ll face New Mexico Highlands on Saturday and close the season at home against UC-Colorado Springs and Metro State. Fort Lewis follows up Tuesday’s game with Westminster on Friday. If both teams win out, they’ll share the RMAC regular season title and Colorado Mines will host the RMAC Shootout in Golden.
jfries@durangoherald.com
