Box Score

DURANGO, Colo. — Fort Lewis didn't need the nation's eighth leading rebounder to dominate the boards tonight.

Limited to just nine minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, Matt Morris had just five rebounds, but still finished with 19 points to help the Skyhawks (11-9 overall, 9-7 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) to an 87-70 win over New Mexico Highlands (10-11, 8-9) in Whalen Gymnasium.

Morris moved into 19th place in the school record books with 1,081 career points — past FLC Athletic Hall of Famers Jeff Cremers (1,068 points, 1986-90) and Don Abbott (1,080, 1959-61, '63).

After scoring the first six points of the game, the Skyhawks watched Highlands net the next eight to take an 8-6 lead. Josh Cassaday's two free throws 6:55 into the contest put FLC back on top 14-13 and the Skyhawks never trailed again. They closed the first half on a 33-10 run to build a commanding 45-23 halftime margin.

“I thought that was our best half of the season,” said 16th-year FLC head coach Bob Hofman. “Today was a good building game for us.”

Matt Billups added 19 points, while Cassaday finished with 11, thanks to an 8-of-10 night from the charity stripe.

The Cowboys committed 33 fouls, sending FLC to the line 47 times. The Skyhawks made the most of their chances, sinking 36 free throws and shooting 76.6 percent from the line.

Even without Morris' usual double-double, the Skyhawks still owned the boards with a 48-37 rebounding advantage. Marcus Ayala, Alex Herrera, and Torrey Udall each grabbed seven caroms.

Cassaday had a balanced stat sheet. In addition to his 11 points, he matched career highs with six assists and three steals to go along with five rebounds.

Daniol Silva was the only Cowboy to score in double figures with 13 points, including three treys. Aaron Shepard had seven asssits and three steals.

Highlands struggled from the field, making just 32.8 percent (22 of 67) of its field goals. The Cowboys did stroke 12 three-pointers, shooting much better from behind the arc (44.4 percent) than they did in traffic.

After a rough January that saw them drop five of seven league games — including four by less than five points — the Skyhawks have come out strong in February, winning both games this weekend by double-digit margins to move into fifth place in the tight RMAC standings. Eight teams are separated by three games in third through 11th place. The top eight squads advance to the RMAC Shootout, with the top four hosting first-round playoff games on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Fort Lewis hits the road for its next four games, starting with a 7:30 p.m. tilt at Colorado State-Pueblo (10-10, 7-9) Friday. The Skyhawks also travel to UC-Colorado Springs (7-15, 6-10) at 7:30 p.m. next Saturday.