The Fort Lewis College men’s basketball team’s season has been full of comebacks, but the Skyhawks couldn’t make enough plays in a 95-93 loss at Adams State on Thursday to complete their rally.
After leading at the half, the Grizzlies went on a run to take the lead and controlled the game for most of the second half. After being down by 13 with three minutes left, the Skyhawks went on a miraculous 13-1 run, punctuated by junior Donald Bangham Jr.’s old-fashioned 3-point play to tie the game at 93 with 41 seconds left.
On the ensuing Adams State possession, the Grizzlies missed their first attempt, but Jarmell Johnson was in the right position to score the rebound, putting Adams State up 95-93 with seven seconds left. FLC redshirt sophomore guard Stewart Erhart got the ball, dribbled full court and had a decent look with a runner from around the free-throw line, but the ball rolled off the rim, and the Grizzlies fans cheered with the upset victory sealed.
“We were playing short-handed tonight; we had guys throwing up all day,” FLC men’s basketball head coach Jordan Mast said. “We weren’t good passing the ball. Some things that were a foul for us weren’t a foul to them; welcome to Alamosa … overall, the guys fought hard, but we couldn’t get it done.”
FLC dropped to 14-6 overall and 12-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play, after it shot 42% from the field, 32% from 3-point range and 74% from the free-throw line. It was FLC’s first loss since Dec. 16 against St. Edward’s University, and the loss snapped the Skyhawks’ best start to conference play in program history. Thursday night’s loss was FLC’s second one-score loss of the season.
Bangham Jr. led the Skyhawks with a season-high 24 points in only 21 minutes on 10-14 shooting from the field, 2-4 from 3-point range and 2-4 from the free-throw line. It’s Bangham Jr.’s double-digit scoring game since Dec. 13. Erhart added 18 points, six assists and six steals.
“He was aggressive to the rim, and he made some shots which helps,” Mast said about Bangham Jr. “When he’s aggressive to the rim and straight-line driving, it’s pretty hard to stay in front of him.”
Adams State improved to 15-7 overall and 9-5 in the RMAC after it shot 47% from the field, 26% from 3-point range and 84% from the free-throw line.
Dillan Baker led the Grizzlies with 24 points on 8-15 shooting from the field, 3-9 from 3-point range and 5-5 from the free-throw line. Luke Williams added 23 points in Adam State’s fifth-consecutive win.
FLC got off to a good start, finishing inside and senior forward Cassius Carmichael hit a 3-pointer for a 7-3 lead. However, Adams State responded by turning FLC over, leading to a transition dunk and two free throws to give the Grizzlies a 10-7 lead with 16 minutes left.
The Skyhawks extended their lead to 21-16 with 11 minutes left in the first after the pace really picked up with Adams State committing some turnovers. The Grizzlies responded by getting out in transition before FLC could get its press set, resulting in a 6-0 run for Adams State to retake the lead with 8:30 left.
It was a strong finish to the first half for the Skyhawks, as they built their lead to 41-31 with two minutes left. FLC was led by Bangham Jr., who used his elite athleticism to score in transition and inside. Adams State finished inside through contact late in the half as the Skyhawks led 45-39 going into the break.
Adams State had a fantastic start to the half, going on an 11-2 run to take a 50-48 lead with 17:10 left. The Grizzlies finished inside, got out in transition, and FLC couldn’t find its shooting touch. The Grizzlies continued to finish and increased their lead to 58-52 with 14:50 left.
“We took quick, selfish shots that led to easy baskets for them,” Mast said. “So our lead disintegrated, and they built the lead. They shoot quick shots; that’s their game. It’s not ours, and we fell for trying to play their style. Suddenly, we were shooting a lot of quick one-pass or no-pass shots, and we’re not very good when we do that.”
The Grizzlies continued to control the second half, hitting timely 3-pointers and pushing the pace.
FLC, like it always does, made a run in the end. Adams State was sloppy with the ball. Fifth-year forward Chuol Deng hit a transition 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 93-90, then Bangham Jr. had a steal underneath the basket, leading to his tough layup plus the foul to tie the game at 93.
Mast was happy with Erhart’s final shot, but thought the refs missed Erhart getting undercut.
FLC plays on Saturday at 3 p.m. at New Mexico Highlands
Women’s basketball gets blown out at Adams State
The Skyhawks women’s basketball team didn’t match up well with Adams State in Durango on Dec. 13, and not much changed in Alamosa as Fort Lewis College lost 91-68 against the Grizzlies on Thursday.
FLC was down by as many as 28 points against Adams State before clawing back some of that margin in the fourth quarter. The Skyhawks really struggled to start the first half and second half, losing the first quarter by 10 points and the third quarter by 12 points.
The Skyhawks dropped to 13-8 overall and 6-7 in the RMAC after they shot 34% from the field, 9% from 3-point range and 50% from the free-throw line. FLC has shot less than 20% from 3-point range seven times this season and 50% or worse from the free-throw line five times this season.
Freshman guard Josie Davis led the Skyhawks with 13 points on 5-12 shooting from the field, 0-1 from 3-point range, 3-4 from the free-throw line and nine rebounds. Junior Makaya Porter added 13 points on 6-10 shooting from the field, 0-2 from 3-point range and 1-2 from the free-throw line.
Adams State improved to 19-5 overall and 13-1 in the RMAC after it shot 59% from the field, 40% from 3-point range and 54% from the free-throw line. The Grizzlies’ 91 points are the second-most a team has scored on FLC this season. In two matchups so far, Adams State has beaten FLC by an average of 25.5 points.
Elaina Watson led the Grizzlies with 21 points on 10-14 shooting from the field and 1-1 from the free-throw line. Taejhuan Hill added 19 points.
FLC plays at New Mexico Highlands on Saturday at 1 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
