Box Score

ALAMOSA, Colo. — Fort Lewis (15-3 overall, 11-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) blistered the nets in the first half and overcame an icy second stanza from the free throw line to hold off Adams State (13-4, 10-4) last night at a packed Plachy Hall.

“We endured,” longtime FLC head coach Bob Hofman told the Durango Herald. “It was a tale of two halves, and we had just enough to get out of there alive.”

The Skyhawks seemingly couldn't miss from three-point range in the first frame, making 7-of-12 treys to build a 46-27 halftime lead. DeAndre Lansdowne, the Preseason RMAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, did most of the damage, going 4-of-5 from behind the arc and scoring 16 of his team-high 24 points in the opening 20 minutes. Daniel Steffensen (12 points, three assists, three steals), Tayler Faust and Matthias Weissl also connected from long range early.

But all of the first half fireworks were nearly outdone by a game Grizzly squad that erased FLC's 19-point lead with 16 minutes left in the game to tie the score twice down the stretch. Poor free throw shooting, which plagued Fort Lewis in its only three league losses this season, again reared its ugly head. In the final 3:16, Fort Lewis missed 11 of its 13 charity shots. The Skyhawks shot .537 (22-of-41) from the foul line during the game, but just .375 (9-of-24) in the second half.

“Free throws again, goodness gracious,” Hofman told the Herald in disbelief.

The Grizzlies, on the other hand, shot a solid .815 (22-of-27) from the foul line in the game and a torrid .875 (14-of-16) in the final frame.

If anything, the Skyhawks had to dig deeper on the offensive glass and the defensive end to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. On three missed free throws down the stretch and another missed field goal attempt, Connor Drumm and Matt Morris tipped the rebounds high and deep, which FLC guards were able to corral near midcourt, keeping possession in the hands of Skyhawks.

And Steffensen — a small forward best known for his long-range shooting — made four clutch plays in the final two minutes. First, after Shayer Lee collected a missed Morris layup in traffic with 1:37 remaining, Steffensen swiped the ball cleanly before Lee could throw an outlet pass. After a Fort Lewis timeout, he drilled a three-pointer to stretch the lead to 75-70 with 1:15 left.

Following a David Kanyinda free throw that gave FLC a 76-75 lead with 34 seconds left, Adams State had the chance to win the game on the offensive end. Deray Wilson missed a runner in the lane with 12 ticks left, but Jack Osborn collected a long rebound near the free throw line. Steffensen came up with his second big steal down the stretch, stripping Osborn of the ball. Rather than holding the ball and forcing the Grizzlies to foul, Steffensen and Lansdowne raced the length on a 2-on-1 break. Steffensen fed Lansdowne for a breakaway layup that ASC goaltended with six seconds remaining, making the final margin 78-75.

Wilson, who led all scorers with 27 points coming off the bench for the Grizzlies, missed on a desperation three-point attempt from the corner as time expired. His offensive efforts spurred ASC's comeback, as the junior guard went 8-of-14 from the field, 3-of-6 from long range and 8-of-10 from the line.

While Lansdowne and Steffensen were the only Skyhawks to score in double figures, several others made key contributions. Though he struggled from both the line (5-of-13) and the field (1-of-9), Kanyinda nearly doubled his previous personal rebounding best with 11 caroms (seven defensive). Drumm had one of the finest games of his career, notching four points, two assists and two credited rebounds in 18 minutes of action — much in relief of Kyle Behrens, who scored seven points and grabbed five boards before fouling out midway through the second half.

The Skyhawks outrebounded the much taller Grizzlies 45-35, pulling down 18 offensive rebounds.

Hindered by just one game this week, Fort Lewis fell into third place in the RMAC standings. League front-runner Metro State (16-3, 13-2) won both of its games this week, beating Western State 60-46 Friday and surviving a Mesa State scare 57-54 Saturday in a pair of home contests. Colorado Mines (16-3, 12-3) moved into second place by winning on the road at Chadron State 75-69 Friday and at Nebraska-Kearney 72-67 Saturday.

The road won't get any easier this weekend, with two teams who are chasing FLC in the league standings hosting the Skyhawks. FLC plays at Western New Mexico (9-13, 9-6) at 8 p.m. Friday and at New Mexico Highlands (14-5, 10-5) at 8 p.m. Saturday. The Skyhawks previously defeated New Mexico Highlands 94-84 on Jan. 7 and Western New Mexico 103-61 on Jan. 8 in Whalen Gymnasium.