Box Score
DURANGO, Colo. — DeAndre Lansdowne scored 21 points and
Matt Morris added 20 as Fort Lewis (7-2 overall, 3-2 in the
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) defeated Western State (1-10, 0-6) 91-66 tonight at Whalen Gymnasium.
One night removed from a 75-67 loss to Mesa State, the Skyhawks found their shooting touch, blistering the nets at a .514 clip from the field (36 of 70) and .424 from three-point range (14 of 33). They also distributed the ball effectively, notching 31 assists.
Lansdowne — the Preseason RMAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year — was hot from the outside, making four of six treys while recording five helpers.
Morris scored three field goals on FLC's first three possessions — a hook shot, a mid-range jumper and a fast break layup — en route to a 10-of-14 night from the field. He also led the Skyhawks with nine rebounds, helping FLC to a 49-37 advantage on the boards.
No other Skyhawk scored in double figures, but
David Kanyinda and
Josh Cassaday came off the bench to chip in nine points each.
Fort Lewis never trailed in the game and took the lead for good on Morris' second basket just 1:28 after the opening tip. The Skyhawks led by as many as 29 in the second half. After the Mountaineers trimmed the lead to 11 (58-47) midway through the second half, FLC iced the victory by finding its three-point touch. Lansdowne (two long-range bombs),
Daniel Steffensen and Kanyinda combined for four treys in a little over four minutes to extend the lead to 27 (79-52).
The Mountaineers were led by Welyan Towns' 19 points and five assists. The junior guard was particularly effective on the fast break, helping WSC to a 20-14 advantage in fast break points.
Joey Stukes added 13 points for Western State.
Shooting woes plagued the Mountaineers all game long, as they shot just .328 from the field (22 of 67) and .188 from behind the arc (three of 16).
The Skyhawks return to action with a two-game RMAC road trip to Nebraska, where they'll face Chadron State (5-5, 3-3) at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 2 and at Nebraska-Kearney (5-5, 3-3) at 4 p.m. (MST) on Monday, Jan. 3.
