DURANGO, Colo. – March 1, 2016 – Senior forward Kody Salcido scored a career high 18 points off the bench and late free throws by junior guards Joshua Blaylock and Will Morse sealed a win Tuesday night for the Fort Lewis College men's basketball team.  The Skyhawks, seeded No. 1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament, defeated eighth seed Colorado State University-Pueblo in a nail biter, 89-86, to advance to the RMAC semifinal round.
 
With Tuesday's win, the Skyhawks will host the RMAC final four championship tournament March 4-5.
 
The Skyhawks, who led for nearly 30 minutes, were leading by 16 points with 9:22 left in the game (76-60) before CSU-Pueblo went on a 12-1 run to cut the lead down to seven points.  The Pack used two three-pointers and three layups during their run.
 
With 1:50 left in regulation and a seven point lead (81-74), the ThunderWolves went 4-for-4 from the free throw line and 2-for-2 from the floor to cut the lead down to 81-80.  After a 30 second FLC timeout, Blaylock nailed a three-pointer followed by a defensive rebound on the other end of the court that resulted in a trip to the free throw line.  Blaylock nailed both free throws with 24 seconds remaining.
 
Josh Smith hit a three-point on CSU-Pueblo's next trip down the court but Morse was fouled twice in the final eight seconds that resulted in him making 3-of-4 free throws to seal the win, 89-86.
 
Five Skyhawks scored in double figures with Blaylock leading FLC with 19 points.  Twelve of his 19 points came from long range where he made 4-of-7.  He was perfect from the free throw line on all three attempts and added eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.  Morse finished the game with 15 points and a game high seven assists.
 
Senior forward Austin Haldorson chipped in 10 points, three rebounds and two assists.  Salcido finished the game making 8-of-10 field goals and both free throws as part of his 18 points.
 
Tonight's win set an all-time program record for most wins in a season with 25.  The win also kept the Skyhawks home record unblemished at 15-0.
 
Friday's first semifinal game at 5 p.m. will feature No. 2 seed Colorado Mines and No. 3 seed Colorado Mesa.  The Skyhawks will play host to fourth seed MSU Denver at 7:30 p.m.