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Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

Logan Hokanson 12.11
Chris Neal, Shooter Imaging
58
Colo. Christian CC 3-6,0-3 RMAC
87
Winner Fort Lewis FLC 7-3,3-1 RMAC
Colo. Christian CC
3-6,0-3 RMAC
58
Final
87
Fort Lewis FLC
7-3,3-1 RMAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Colo. Christian CC 26 32 58
Fort Lewis FLC 46 41 87

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | David Wilson, Assistant AD-Communications

Skyhawks' defense delivers best performance since 2017, team rolls to 87-58 rout of Colorado Christian

DURANGO, Colo. — The Fort Lewis College men's basketball team put together arguably its best defensive performance of the season on Saturday, limiting Colorado Christian University to just 58 points on 36% shooting in an 87-58 rout inside Whalen Gymnasium.

The 58 points are the lowest Fort Lewis (7-3 overall, 3-1 RMAC) has allowed this season and the lowest opponent point total since FLC's 66-48 win over Black Hills State on Jan. 13, 2017.

"CCU is a hard matchup because they can really score it," said FLC head men's basketball coach Bob Pietrack, referencing a Cougars team that entered the weekend leading the RMAC in made 3-pointers (9.5). "I thought, collectively, that was our best defensive game of the year as far as taking them out of what they wanted to be in."

The Skyhawks' were stifling from the opening tip as they led wire-to-wire and put the Cougars (3-6 overall, 0-3 RMAC) in a hole early, going up 25-13 via a 3-pointer from senior guard Will Wittman at the midway mark of the first half.

Fort Lewis would take a 46-26 lead into the break, leaning on its stout defense and another big-time performance from guard Akuel Kot, who poured in 13 of his 20 points in the first half.

The sophomore out of Amarillo, Texas followed up his 24-point performance on Tuesday in an 87-68 win against Western Colorado with another standout effort Saturday, shooting an economical 8-for-11 from the field, including a spotless 3-for-3 from 3-point range.

"Akuel was a highly recruited player and we were very thankful to get him. With that comes some pressure and Akuel is just a guy who has planted his roots here," Pietrack said. "Everybody is starting to see what a special talent he is. We've known it, but what happens is, when you're young, this league is so competitive that it is still really hard. He's in his third year now and really blossoming in front of our eyes, which is good to see because we knew that was going to be a special treat when we got him."

Kot was one of three Skyhawks in double-figures Saturday as senior forward Riley Farris tallied 21 points and four rebounds in his 21 minutes, while redshirt junior forward Brenden Boatwright added 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds in his 20 minutes.

Wittman, who picked off a team-high four steals, added nine points on perfect 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc.

Fort Lewis as a team shot 52% from the field (28-of-54) while making a season-high 13 3-pointers (13-of-25). Adding to the team's high efficiency offense; the Skyhawks only turned the ball over eight times and currently lead the RMAC in fewest turnovers per game at 10.6 through 10 games this season.

"The thing that we're the most proud of (Saturday) offensively is that our turnovers were down under 10," Pietrack said. "If you shoot a high percentage, you share the ball and you don't turn it over, you normally put yourself in a position to win games."

Saturday also marked the return of senior guard Logan Hokanson, the team's starting point guard in 2019-20 who has been sidelined with injuries much of the previous two seasons.
Hokanson finished with three points and four assists Saturday in his first 14 minutes of game time since Feb. 28, 2020.

"Everybody on our team has a lot of value, and we're going to work him back in (to the rotation) because he brings a lot of value to our team," Pietrack said of Hokanson. "We're thankful that, after such a long period of time, that he could have a moment where he gets back in… Logan's a hooper, so we're happy for him to get back on the court and be in the environment he's supposed to be in."

Fort Lewis, winners of three of its last four, will look to continue its strong play next weekend when it concludes a four-game home stand — and the fall semester portion of its schedule — with home matchups against Regis University (8 p.m. Friday) and Colorado School of Mines (8 p.m. Saturday).
 
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