Derrick White wouldn’t be denied by the Fort Lewis College men’s basketball team.
White, a UC-Colorado Springs sophomore guard, scored 33 points against the Skyhawks on Saturday night at Gallogly Event Center in Colorado Springs. Of those 33 points, none were bigger than the two he scored on a game-winning floater with 3.9 seconds remaining in the game to give his Mountain Lions a 76-74 victory.
“White played extremely well for them. They earned their points and made some really big plays down the stretch,” FLC head coach Bob Hofman said. “We competed really hard, and it was a really good game. That is all you can ask for.”
FLC (14-8, 11-7 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) led the game 34-32 at halftime but ran into several problems in the second half against UCCS (16-6, 13-5 RMAC). The Skyhawks were held to just three points during a six-minute span in the middle of the half, and 6-9 junior center Alex Herrera fouled out with more than six minutes remaining in the game.
With Herrera sidelined, FLC senior guard Nick Tomsick did his best to lead the Skyhawks to victory as he scored 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from behind the 3-point line.
“They got Alex in foul trouble, and we were discombobulated without him,” Hofman said. “They were some difficult fouls. To his credit, he just kept playing. As a team, it is hard when they have a 6-10 kid who got three big rebounds with Alex out of the game. That allowed them to win the game, but you play with the hand dealt to you.”
Herrera exited the game with nine points and seven rebounds. He was 4-of-10 from the field. When he fouled out, UCCS scored a couple of quick baskets in the paint to build a lead.
Tomsick kept the Skyhawks alive with two big 3-pointers, including one that gave the Skyhawks a 69-68 advantage with less than three minutes to play.
“Tomsick had a huge second half,” Hofman said. “He made some really tough shots.”
White helped UCCS build a 72-69 with 40 seconds to play, but a big 3-pointer by FLC sophomore guard Cade Kloster tied the game 74-74 with 14.8 seconds left.
The Mountain Lions got the ball in the hands of White, who penetrated the lane and threw up a floater as he tripped over his own feet. The shot banked off the glass and through the basket with less than four seconds to play.
A final effort by Tomsick was blocked at the buzzer, which signaled the Skyhawks’ second loss in as many nights. FLC lost to CSU-Pueblo 71-55 on Friday night in Pueblo.
“We were just one play away from winning the game,” Hofman said. “It is a disappointing loss because we competed so hard. Compared to (Friday) night, it was night and day with how much better we played.”
The win firmly placed UCCS in third place in the RMAC standings. After two consecutive losses, FLC fell back into fourth place.
The Skyhawks will hit the road again next weekend for a pair of games. They will play No. 1-ranked Metro State on Friday and Regis on Saturday. FLC defeated Regis 79-59 and lost to Metro State 78-65 in home games last month.
“We have to come home and prepare for Metro. We really have to get after it,” coach Hofman said.
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