Box score
2012-13 RMAC Shootout men's basketball bracket

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — As they've done all year long, No. 17 Fort Lewis (19-8 overall, 16-6 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) stared down adversity and emerged victorious. On Saturday night, it meant beating Colorado Mesa 69-59 to pick up an important regional victory, securing the third seed in next week's RMAC Shootout, and beating the Mavs in Brownson Arena for just the ninth time ever.
 
“Everybody played together and I was really proud of that,” said 17th year Skyhawk skipper Bob Hofman. “I thought we played well defensively and the effort was good.”
 
Fort Lewis led for nearly the entire game, trailing just twice by a single point in the second half. The game was tied on four occasions.
 
The game might not have been as close as the final score indicated if not for a stretch of nearly 10 minutes that spread through both halves that saw the Skyhawks stuck on 33 points. Alex Herrera finished an old-fashioned three-point play to stretch FLC's lead to 33-22 with 5:46 left in the first half. The Mavs scored the next 11 points before Nick Tomsick went 1-of-2 from the foul line to end the drought and give FLC a 34-33 lead 3:41 into the second stanza.
 
Fort Lewis methodically held onto its lead most of the second half, thanks largely to reserve guard Marcus Ayala. “The Bandit,” as radio announcer Ken Flint calls him, carried his teammates on his back in the second half, scoring 19 of his game-high 22 points in the final frame.
 
During one stretch in the final 3:18, Ayala drove the lane for three straight layups on successive trips down the court to make it a three-possession game.
 
“Marcus down the stretch has been really special for us all year long,” said Hofman. “I'm really proud of him.”
 
Herrera also rebounded from a rare off night in Friday's 80-69 loss at Western State by controlling the paint at both ends of the court. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. “The Chief” also grabbed six rebounds and blocked a pair of shots while fouling out his CMU counterpart, Colton Burgon. Herrera and Torrey Udall held the Maverick senior to just eight points on 3-of-9 shooting.
 
The Skyhawks also owned a decided advantage on the boards, outrebounding CMU 36-26. The Mavs managed must six offensive caroms.
 
Fort Lewis shot a respectable 46.9 percent (23-of-49) from the field and 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from behind the arc. They also managed to shut down a normally strong-shooting Mesa squad. The Mavs hit just 39.2 percent (20-of-51) of their field goals and 21.1 percent (4-of-19) of their treys.
 
Mike Melillo led CMU with 15 points (6-of-12 from the field), while Jeff Hart scored 13 (6-of-7 free throws).

Brownson Arena has been somewhat of a black hole for the Skyhawks. Fort Lewis had lost the previous five games played between the two schools in Grand Junction and was just 8-34 all-time against the Mavs on their home court entering tonight's game. FLC's last win at Colorado Mesa was a 63-52 victory on Feb. 28, 2006.
 
Now Fort Lewis sets its sights on another of the RMAC's perennial powerhouses — sixth-seeded Colorado Mines (15-11, 12-10).
 
Earlier this season, FLC survived a furious Oredigger rally down the stretch to win 71-69 on a buzzer-beating dunk by Herrera on Jan. 26 in Whalen Gymnasium.
 
“They're a very tough team to play,” said Hofman.
 
Fort Lewis leads the all-time series with Colorado Mines 49-28 and is 21-12 all-time on its home court. The teams have split two RMAC Shootout games in Whalen Gymnasium, though, with the Skyhawks winning 75-42 on March 2, 2005 and the Orediggers edging FLC 72-71 on March 1, 2006.
 
FLC also beat CSM 72-67 in the RMAC Shootout championship tilt on March 5, 2011 in Pueblo, Colo., and beat the Orediggers eight days later in the NCAA Division II playoffs by a 77-65 margin in a game played in Mankato, Minn., to advance to their first-ever Sweet Sixteen.
 
Because this is an RMAC playoff game, all fans — including FLC students, faculty, staff and season-pass holders — are required to purchase tickets. Admission for the doubleheader costs $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens (ages 65+) and students (age 13 through college) and $3 for children (ages 6-12). Admission is free for children ages 5 and younger.
 
Prior to the 7:30 p.m. men's tipoff, the Skyhawk women (17-9, 16-6) — seeded fourth in the RMAC Shootout — host fifth-seeded Colorado State-Pueblo (18-8, 15-7) at 5:30 p.m. FLC and CSUP held serve on their home courts in 2012-13, with each winning by comfortable margins.