The two Fort Lewis College basketball programs couldn’t have asked for a better regular-season finale, with both squads winning by 18+ points at Colorado Christian on Saturday as the Skyhawks look to take that momentum into the postseason.
FLC women’s basketball’s 85-58 against the Cougars was important, but the men’s squad’s 83-64 win was more significant with everything at stake.
Going into Saturday’s game with Colorado Christian, the men had just been blown out at CSU Pueblo on Thursday. It was a brutal loss because it ended FLC’s Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular-season title hopes, and it was the Skyhawks’ fifth consecutive loss on the road.
FLC needed a road win to steady the ship as it heads into the postseason, and the Skyhawks got it with an impressive defensive performance. FLC’s win at Colorado Christian was its first road win since Jan. 17 as the Skyhawks enter the postseason with work to do to make the NCAA tournament.
“We talked right before the game about for us to go do something special, we're going to have to win on the road,” FLC men’s basketball head coach Jordan Mast said. “We need a little confidence going into a big road game. We need to take care of business at home first to have that opportunity.”
FLC improved to 17-10 overall and 15-5 in the RMAC after it shot 49% from the field, 31% from 3-point range and 60% from the free-throw line. Redshirt sophomore guard Stewart Erhart led the Skyhawks with 17 points on 5-11 shooting from the field, 1-2 from 3-point range and 6-6 from the free-throw line, along with six steals. Fifth-year forward Chuol Deng added 16 points and eight rebounds.
Colorado Christian finished its season 13-15 overall and 8-12 in the RMAC after it shot 39% from the field, 31% from 3-point range and 56% from the free-throw line. Pierce Bazil led the Cougars with 22 points on 9-21 shooting from the field and 4-13 from 3-point range.
FLC started strong with three finishes inside for an 8-0 lead with 16:55 left in the first half. Colorado Christian couldn’t hit its early 3-pointers, and FLC created some turnovers.
Colorado Christian got early 3-point looks, but couldn’t convert, and the Skyhawks took advantage. They moved the ball well against the Cougars’ 2-3 zone. Freshman guard Ziemkiewicz got a rare steal and score for a 17-6 lead with 13:45 left in the first half.
“Our offense was great the whole game,” Mast said. “We’ve talked in the last few games that we've been on this losing streak that we've been shooting a lot of threes and passing around the perimeter a lot without an intention of getting the ball inside ... We were very intentional about getting the ball inside tonight.”
The Cougars’ main source of offense in the first half was Bazil. He hit four 3-pointers in the first half and a tough long 2-pointer to keep Colorado Christian in striking distance. Mast was disappointed in a few closeouts to Bazil, but he knows he has to live with Bazil making tough shots.
Once Bazil cooled off, the Skyhawks rebuilt their lead by getting to the free-throw line and finishing inside. Deng was especially active, finishing inside for a 40-26 lead with 3:50 left.
FLC led 46-33 at the half, and Colorado Christian continued to hit tough shots and the game remained a nine-point advantage for the first 10 minutes as both teams struggled with turnovers. The Skyhawks’ offense finally got going thanks to their defense. A beautiful pass from Deng to senior forward Massal Diouf led to a slam and a 62-47 lead with 7:30 left.
The Skyhawks led by as many as 21 points in the second half. FLC finished the regular season fourth in the RMAC standings and will host No. 5 Adams State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the conference tournament quarterfinals. FLC beat Adams State at home, 94-85, on Dec. 13, and lost to the Grizzlies on the road, 95-93, on Feb. 5.
“I'm excited,” Mast said. “We're the type of team that if another team beats us, we kind of look at it as an opportunity to get revenge, and that's how we’re looking at it. We're good at home. It's going to be a fast-paced game. They want to play like us, get up press and run. So it's going to be which team does it better.”
Skyhawks women dominate, secure seventh in conference
The FLC women’s basketball team is the third hottest team in the RMAC after its 85-58 road win against Colorado Christian to wrap up the regular season.
Offense was a strength for the Skyhawks on Saturday, finishing with the highest shooting percentage of the season and tying the most assists in a game for the season. FLC had a double-digit lead by the middle of the second quarter, and the Skyhawks never looked back, cruising to their fourth-consecutive win.
“We just came out with a lot of intensity,” FLC women’s basketball head coach Lauren Zuniga said. “We were excited to have another opportunity to play, and we wanted to finish the season the right way on a high note.”
FLC finished the regular season 18-10 overall and 11-9 in the RMAC after it shot 52% from the field, 46% from 3-point range and 78% from the free-throw line. The Skyhawks’ 85 points are the most since their win over Colorado School of Mines on Jan. 29.
Junior Makaya Porter led the Skyhawks with a season-high 26 points on 11-15 shooting from the field, 4-5 from 3-point range and 0-1 from the free-throw line. Zuniga was happy about Porter’s aggressiveness and decisiveness. The Cougars sagged off Porter, and she made them pay with the outside shot.
Colorado Christian finished its season 7-21 overall and 4-16 in the RMAC after it shot 41% from the field, 25% from 3-point range and 90% from the free-throw line. Jordon Heckert led the Cougars with 13 points on 4-8 shooting from the field, 1-2 from 3-point range and 4-4 from the free-throw line.
The game was tied at 10 in the first quarter, but FLC ended the quarter on a 12-5 run to take a 22-15 advantage into the second quarter. The Skyhawks scored 22 points again in the second quarter to take a 44-27 lead into halftime, and FLC upped its scoring to 24 points in the third, taking a commanding 68-40 lead into the fourth.
For the first time since the 2017-2018 season, the Skyhawks will be in the conference tournament. Their quarterfinal foe will be UCCS in Colorado Springs on Tuesday at 6 p.m. FLC, the No. 7 seed, played the No. 2-seeded Mountain Lions in Durango on Jan. 24 and lost, 75-68. UCCS finished the regular season 19-9 overall and 15-5 in the RMAC.
“I remember that we had a terrible third quarter; that was our worst third quarter of the season,” Zuniga said about the previous matchup. “But, UCCS is a tough team. They're really gritty. They have a big post inside, and they have a really great guard.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
