Box Score

SILVER CITY, N.M. — Western New Mexico (10-14 overall, 10-6 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) rallied late in the second half to force overtime before upsetting Fort Lewis (15-4, 11-4) 93-88 in overtime tonight at Drag's Court.

“It's very disappointing. We didn't take care of the ball when we had the lead,” 15th-year head coach Bob Hofman said. “It's really a tough loss. They are a very tough team at home, and always have been.”

The Skyhawks, ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II Central Region, led by as many as seven in the waning minutes, but uncharacteristic turnovers and opportunistic three-point shooting by the Mustangs actually put WNMU in a position to win in regulation.

With the score tied at 73-73, turnovers by Daniel Steffensen and Matt Billups on back-to-back possessions gave the Mustangs a 75-73 lead with a minute remaining.

A DeAndre Lansdowne basket in the paint knotted the score at 75-75 with 31 seconds remaining in regulation. Playing for the last shot, WNMU had two looks at the regulation win: first, a fadeaway three-point attempt by T.J. Riley with seven seconds remaining, and then a short jumper by Andy Sohlich with two ticks left on the clock.

Turnovers again plagued the Skyhawks in overtime. A pair of turnovers by Kyle Behrens in the final two minutes of the extra frame forced the Skyhawks to foul down the stretch and the Mustangs made the most of their chances, sinking seven of eight foul shots in overtime.

The loss overshadowed a balanced attack that saw five Skyhawks score in double figures. Steffensen notched his first career double-double in an FLC uniform with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Lansdowne added 18 to move with 17 points of tying Tim Bieri (1,691 points from 2003-07) for FLC's career scoring lead

Matt Morris had 15 points to go along with nine rebounds. David Kanyinda came off the bench to net 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting from behind the arc before fouling out in overtime. Behrens added 11.

Chad Carter led the Mustangs with 25 points in a bizarre game that saw him explode for 19 in the first half, be held scoreless in the second stanza, and finish with six in overtime.

Three other WNMU players scored in double digits: Sohlich (21), Jeron McIntosh (19) and Riley (17). Sohlich did most of his damage behind the arc, making five treys in nine attempts.

“I thought Sohlich was the difference. All guarded, all tough shots,” he said of the long-range gunner.

Fort Lewis built its largest lead of 11 points in the first half, but saw the Mustangs rally to take a 38-33 lead into the locker room.

The Skyhawks outrebounded the Mustangs 53-46. Billups, a 6-foot point guard, pulled down a career-high eight caroms, all on the defensive end.

The game was in jeopardy of being played, as a natural gas shortage in New Mexico closed the WNMU campus today. Natural gas service to Silver City was restored, though, and the game wasn't affected.

Fort Lewis continues its two-game road trip at 8 p.m. tomorrow night at New Mexico Highlands (15-5, 11-5) at the John A. Wilson Complex. The Skyhawks previously defeated the Cowboys 94-84 on Jan. 7 in Durango. Highlands defeated Adams State 90-81 tonight.