by Matthew Piper
Herald Sports Writer

December 13, 2009.  Durango, CO. - The preseason Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year had 30 points to go with six rebounds, three assists and three steals en route to an 85-70 victory over Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday night at Whalen Gym.

“We just expect so much from him that when he's phenomenal it's almost like we expect it," Fort Lewis College men's basketball coach Bob Hofman said.

Daniel Steffensen sank five 3-pointers - including a back-breaking trey in the second half that put the game out of reach - on his way to 15 points, and post Matt Morris also had 15 after struggling to get going early for FLC (8-1 overall, 3-1 RMAC), which shot 46.7 percent from behind the arc and made nine of 17 attempts in the first half.

“We really did shoot the ball well (Saturday) night," Hofman said. “When we make our 3s, we're tough to guard."

The Skyhawks kicked off the game - after the 6-foot-2 Lansdowne won the tip over 6-10 Josiah Parker - with a heavy emphasis on the long ball.

Steffensen hit two, and Lansdowne hit three to give FLC its first 15 points and a nine-point lead five minutes into the first half.

A dire situation got worse for the Lopers (6-4 overall, 2-2 RMAC), as the Skyhawks rattled off a 14-point run that included two 3s from David Kanyinda and was capped by a steal, layup and a free throw by Lansdowne that gave Fort Lewis a 28-6 lead.

FLC stretched its advantage to 40-15, but Nebraska-Kearney stayed patient and answered with a penetrate-kick attack that led to an 18-4 Lopers run to end the half within 10 points at 44-33 (as a livid Hofman argued with the officiating crew).

“Kearney's not just some team," Hofman said. “They're very tradition-rich, tough, and if any team's going to come back from a 25-point deficit in the first half, it's gonna be them."

Nine points was as close as Kearney would get after the break, but they duplicated that feat three times until, with just more than eight minutes remaining, Steffensen hit a characteristically deep 3 for a 15-point lead at 70-55.

Another Steffensen trey capped a 16-2 run and lifted the Skyhawks to their biggest lead of the half - 78-55 - with six minutes left to play, and the FLC defense buckled down to eliminate any chance of a comeback.

Kanyinda scored 12 points in just 20 minutes of play, the second consecutive night the junior transfer made an impact playing alongside Lansdowne - his former high school backcourt cohort in Albuquerque.

Parker led the Lopers with 15 points and nine rebounds. Nebraska-Kearney had four other scorers in double figures but shot just 8-for-23 from deep.

“I respect them as much as any program that I know," Hofman said.

The national champion Fort Lewis College men's soccer team was honored at halftime.

FLC will travel to Las Vegas next for its final action of 2009 - Central Washington and Western Washington on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

“Hopefully we'll get better in that trip," Hofman said. “They're not league games, so we just need to get better." 

by Matthew Piper
Herald Sports Writer