Box Score

DURANGO, Colo. — Metro State (14-2 overall, 11-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) relied on strong shooting from three-point range and the foul line to defeat Fort Lewis (13-3, 9-3) 85-78 tonight at Whalen Gymnasium, taking a commanding two-game lead in the league standings with the victory.

The Roadrunners shot .625 (10 of 16) from behind the three-point arc and .750 (21 of 28) from the charity stripe while watching the Skyhawks shoot an uncharacteristically icy .286 (six of 21) from long range and an anemic .429 (12 of 28) from the foul line.

The back-and-forth contest saw 17 lead changes and 12 ties before the Roadrunners took the lead for good on a three-pointer by Brandon Jefferson with 1:57 remaining in the game that made the score 73-70. A missed jumper by FLC's DeAndre Lansdowne on the next possession and a pair of free throws by Quaran Johnson extended the lead to 75-70 with 1:30 remaining. Fort Lewis could never get the lead below three points the rest of the game.

Jefferson, a freshman, came off the bench to score 24 points to share the Metro lead in scoring. He was deadly from all over the court, making six of nine field goals, five of seven bombs and seven of nine charity shots. He also notched a team-high six assists.

Reggie Evans also scored 24 points, making nine of 16 field goals, four of six three-pointers and both of his foul shots.

Fort Lewis was paced by Lansdowne's 16-point, seven-rebound effort. In his typical blue collar fashion, Kyle Behrens added 13 points and seven boards for FLC. David Kanyinda (12 points) and Josh Cassaday (10) also scored in double figures for the Skyhawks, while Daniel Steffensen had nine points and seven assists.

Aside from shooting percentages, statistics in the game were nearly identical. The rebounding battle was a draw with each team collecting 36 caroms; assists were even at 21 per team, as were steals at six apiece. Fort Lewis committed 14 turnovers to just 12 for Metro State in a game that saw both teams protect the ball well.

Fort Lewis drew its largest crowd of the season on a night where the Skyhawks and Roadrunners battled for first place in both the men's and women's standings (FLC's women ran away from MSCD in surprisingly easy fashion, 73-47 earlier in the night). Spectators were treated to six dunks by the Skyhawks — three each by Lansdowne and Cassaday.

Just one game separated the Roadrunners and the Skyhawks in the league standings prior to tonight's contest. Now Metro State (11-1 RMAC) owns a full two-game lead over Fort Lewis, Adams State and Colorado Mines (each team is 9-3).

Fort Lewis hosts last place Regis (5-11, 2-10) at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow night in Whalen Gymnasium. The Rangers lost 86-53 at Adams State tonight.