Box Score

DURANGO, Colo. — For the second night in a row, Matt Billups sparked Fort Lewis (15-11 overall, 13-9 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) to win over a heated rival — this time a 61-50 win over Colorado mesa (14-12, 12-10) in Whalen Gymnasium.

Playing in his final game before the home crowd, the senior guard and three-year starter scored 19 points while adding six rebounds, five assists, and five steals as Fort Lewis ended the regular season on a three-game winning streak. Billups went 2-for-3 from long range and had four of his steals in a second half that saw FLC hold the Mavericks to just 16 points.

The see-saw affair saw Fort Lewis extend a 4-4 tie to a 16-4 lead thanks to a 12-0 run over the course of four minutes early in the first half. The Mavs answered with a 20-2 run that gave them an eight point lead with 2:44 remaining in the first half.

Trailing 36-34 nearly four minutes into the second stanza, the Skyhawks went on a 14-0 run to put away CMU for good. The Mavs would never cut the lead to single digits in the final 13-and-a-half minutes.

Reserve guard Mike Matthews was the only other Skyhawk to score in double figures with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting (2-of-3 from long range).

Matt Morris, who was named a third team Capitol One Academic All-American earlier in the week and ranks 15th in school history in scoring (1,143 points) and fifth in rebounding (658) finished with eight rebounds, six points, and three assists.

Josh Cassaday added nine points and a pair of steals in his last home game, while senior Louie LaBate made his second straight start.

Colton Burgon came off the bench for the Mavs and notched a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, adding five blocks to his line.

The Skyhawks countered Colorado Mesa's wide bodies with a lineup that often featured Morris and four guards. The quickness paid huge dividends: Fort Lewis forced 23 turnovers and recorded 11 steals.

The Mavericks dominated the inside game, winning the rebounding battle 34-26. Fort Lewis boxed out well on the defensive end, though, limiting CMU to just six offensive caroms. The Mavs also blocked seven shots during the game, although Fort Lewis finished with four — including three by Torrey Udall.

Colorado Mesa also outshot FLC. The Mavs made 48.8 percent of their shots (20 of 41), while the Skyhawks shot 37 percent (20 of 54).

Three-point shooting weighed heavily in FLC's favor. The Skyhawks were 43.8 percent from behind the arc (seven of 16), while CMU made just one of nine attempts (11.1 percent).

Although Fort Lewis entered the weekend on the RMAC Shootout bubble, their two victories coupled with the right combination of losses by league foes vaulted them into a fourth place tie with Nebraska-Kearney (15-11, 13-9) and Chadron State (13-13, 13-9). Because of a complicated tiebreaker system, Fort Lewis will be seeded sixth in the RMAC Shootout. The Skyhawks will travel to Adams State to face the third-seeded Grizzlies (19-7, 15-7) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Adams State swept Fort Lewis this season, but both games came down to the wire. The Grizzlies won 67-62 in Alamosa on Dec. 10 and 70-69 at Fort Lewis on Jan. 28.