DURANGO, Colo. — Fort Lewis College Athletics and Morehart Murphy Regional Auto Center are teaming up to fight hunger this holiday season by offering admission specials to this Saturday's basketball games in exchanged for canned goods.
Fans who drop off canned goods at Morehart Murphy Regional Auto Center, located at 31 Parker Avenue South in Bodo Park, will receive a general admission ticket to Saturday's Fort Lewis vs. Adams State basketball games.
Fans who can't make it out to Morehart Murphy can show up at the gate and receive two-for-one admission for donating two or more cans of food Saturday. Tipoff for the women's game between the No. 3 Skyhawks and the preseason RMAC favorite Grizzlies is at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The men's game between the preseason RMAC favorite Skyhawks and the first place Grizzlies is at 7:30 p.m.
Fans who donate at the gate will also receive a coupon giving them a chance to win tickets to ride the Polar Express, courtesy of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Drawings will take place following the media timeouts during each half of the men's and women's basketball games.
The canned food drive is just part of numerous festivities at this weekend's games. Other highlights include:
* A halftime children's race during both games where kids will dress in a Skyhawk basketball uniform and adult-size shoes and dribble the length of the court. Participants will receive toys courtesy Morehart Murphy.
* A “Gold Rush” spirit competition. Each varsity team has been assigned to a residence hall or apartment complex on-campus. The winning team/residence hall will receive a Blimpie's and Coca-Cola party.
* NCAA Division II runner-up banners for the 2009-10 women's basketball, 2006 men's soccer, and 1999 men's soccer teams will be unveiled. Skyhawk Athletics recently received a grant from the Fort Lewis College Foundation to help purchase these banners.
* The “Gold Rush” tuition drawing will again be held at halftime of the men's game. One current Fort Lewis College student will be drawn; the winning student will have the equivalent value of one semester of in-state tuition after College Opportunity Fund (COF) credited to their winter 2011 bill (a value is $1,690). To win, the student must be in attendance, must wear Skyhawk gold (jacket, t-shirt, sweats, etc.), and must present their student ID within 30 seconds of their name being called.
“In these tough economic times, it's a great opportunity for a student to help finance his or her education,” said Director of Athletics
Kelly Higgins. “It's also a chance to bury the Grizzlies in a sea of gold.”
Although the
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference season is just a week old, Saturday's games are crucial.
The women's contest pits the three-time defending RMAC champs and current No. 3 in the
USA TODAY ESPN Top 25 poll, Fort Lewis (7-0 overall, 2-0 RMAC) against the preseason favorites to win the league title, Adams State (6-2, 1-1). Both squads qualified for the NCAA playoffs last season, with FLC advancing to the NCAA Division II national championship game and ASC losing in the first round.
The men's matchup features the front-running Grizzlies (5-0 overall, 2-0 RMAC) against the preseason RMAC favorite Skyhawks (5-1, 1-1). Fort Lewis is the only school in the conference to receive votes in this week's NABC/Division II coaches' poll.
