Fort Lewis 69, CSU Pueblo 54

The Skyhawks men's basketball team gathered a large win over CSU Pueblo on Friday night at Whalen Gymnasium.

In a game that had a hard time finding its own rhythm, the Skyhawks were able to find their jump shot in the second half of the 69-54 victory over the Thunderwolves.

Fort Lewis shot just 36 percent in the first half, but came back after the break to shoot better than 60 percent in the closing 20 minutes. The pace of the game increased as the Skyhawks came out from halftime on a 14-1 run in the first five minutes of the half.

Through a slower paced first half, both teams had problems finding the bottom of the net, shooting under 40 percent, and amassing a 22-31 edge for the Skyhawks.

“We were lulled to sleep in the first half and played at the pace Pueblo wanted, which was slow,” said Fort Lewis head coach Bob Hofman. “Kyle's last bucket before the half gave us some energy.” Hofman said.

Forward Kyle Behrens ran in a quick lay up as time expired in the first half of play to give the Skyhawks a nine point lead at half time, their largest lead to that point. It also gave the crowd something to get loud about.

Fort Lewis gained their advantage with tenacity and toughness in the paint. The Skyhawks out scored the Thunderwolves 38-20 in the paint, with guard Ryan Jameson scoring 20 points to lead both teams in scoring. Jameson made multiple quick cuts into the lane, and was fed the ball for a handful of high percentage shots.

The Skyhawks also had the edge in second chance points, garnering 14 offensive boards, compare to four for CSU Pueblo.

With the win, Fort Lewis set the table for a RMAC West showdown against New Mexico Highlands for the RMAC West division lead. Fort Lewis fell to Highlands on January 30th, 93-80. The Skyhawks are looking to win the grudge match, which will put them in a tie for the RMAC West, with just four games remaining in the regular season.

“It will be fun, Highlands is a great team and it should be fun for our fans.” Hofman said.