Box score
RMAC Shootout men's bracket
DENVER — The third time was a charm for No. 22 Fort Lewis (21-6 overall) as it weathered early and late charges by Adams State (20-8) on Friday to advance to the finals of the
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Shootout by beating the Grizzlies 70-69 in the Auraria Event Center.
The Grizzlies had won both regular season meetings by rallying from a double-digit, second-half deficit for an 82-76 win in Durango on Dec. 8 and later triumphing 76-68 in Alamosa on Feb. 2.
But the Skyhawks flew highest when it mattered the most: with the RMAC Shootout championship cup and an automatic berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs at stake.
Adams State jumped out to a 12-2 lead in the first 3:17 before watching Fort Lewis go on a 42-20 run the rest of the first half.
Jared Smith hit a three-pointer 7:24 into the game to give the Skyhawks a 20-18 lead and one they'd never relinquish.
Fort Lewis led 44-32 at intermission and had a comfortable lead for most of the second stanza before the Grizzlies got hot late. ASU went on a 12-3 run in the final 3:17 after the Skyhawks led 67-57. The only scoring FLC could muster in the final 3:00 was a
Mike Matthews jumper with 1:44 remaining and an
Alex Herrera free throw with seven ticks left on the clock.
Herrera was whistled for a foul on ASU's Shaheed Young with two seconds remaining and FLC clinging to a 70-68 lead. Young hit the first, but missed the second as the comeback attempt fell just short.
Matthews matched a career high with 16 points (4-of-4 from behind the arc and 6-of-7 from the field) as the Skyhawk bench outscored ASU's reserves 33-6. The first time that the junior from nearby Telluride went off for 16 was in the 2012 RMAC Shootout semifinals against Colorado Mesa last March 2. ASU fans will also remember him for hitting a buzzer-beating three-pointer in the 2012 RMAC Shootout opening round to force overtime in what was an eventual 77-73 FLC win at Plachy Hall in Alamosa on Feb. 28, 2012.
Herrera notched his 10th double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Marcus Ayala (14 points, three assists) and
Nick Tomsick (13 points) also scored in double figures for FLC.
Kaimyn Pruitt led the Grizzlies with 22 points (9-of-10 from the field), eight rebounds and three blocks. John Jackson (12 points), Young (11) and Norvell Arnold (10) joined him in double figures.
The Grizzlies owned a 33-27 rebounding advantage and grabbed 14 offensive caroms.
Both teams shot well from the field. Fort Lewis shot an even 50 percent (26-of-52) while ASU shot 50.9 percent (29-of-57). The Skyhawks fared much better from three-point range, though, knocking down 7-of-12 treys (58.3 percent) to just 4-of-17 (23.5 percent) for the Grizzlies.
Now Fort Lewis sets its sights on No. 4 Metro State (26-2), which destroyed Colorado Mesa 93-64 in Friday's other semifinal. The Roadrunners won the RMAC regular season crown but split with FLC, winning 71-65 in Denver on Jan. 19, but losing 61-54 in Durango on Feb. 22. The latter marked FLC's first-ever win over a No. 1-ranked team.
The two schools have combined for 12 of the last 14 RMAC Shootout titles. Metro State has won nine times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010) in the past 14 years, while Fort Lewis has won three (2002, 2008 and 2011).
While an automatic NCAA berth is on the line, both teams have likely already earned tickets to the Big Dance. Metro State is ranked No. 1 in the South Central Region, while FLC is ranked No. 2. Despite losing to FLC, Adams State is also likely to advance, entering the weekend ranked No. 6 in the region. The top eight teams from the RMAC, Lone Star and Heartland conferences will qualify.
For the ninth year in a row, Altitude Sports & Entertainment will air the RMAC Shootout men's basketball championship game. Live coverage begins at 7 p.m. on Altitude 2. Legendary broadcaster Irv Brown will be part of the team calling the action. The game will be re-broadcast on Altitude, the network's flagship station, at 1 p.m. on Sunday. It will also re-air on Altitude 2 at 7:30 p.m. on Monday in designated areas.
Brown is the co-host of the “Irv and Joe Show” on Mile High Sports Radio AM 1510 and FM 93.7 in Denver. Irv and Joe have been on Denver radio for more than 25 years. During the 1980s, Brown served as the lead analyst for Denver Nuggets television broadcasts and was also a primary college basketball analyst for ESPN.
Considered one of the top collegiate basketball officials in the 1970s, Brown blew the whistle in six NCAA Division I Final Fours. He was also Commissioner of the Colorado Athletic Conference (CAC) which was later absorbed into the RMAC in 1996.
Josh Gross will be the play by play broadcaster, with Bryant Johnson working as sideline reporter.
