Northern N.M. NNMU 0-2

Fort Lewis FLC 3-0,0-0 RMAC

Northern N.M. NNMU

0-2

Final

Nov. 18, 2022

Fort Lewis FLC

3-0,0-0 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Northern N.M. NNMU	27	36	63
Fort Lewis FLC	50	38	88

Summary
Box Score

JoJo Lutz, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications

Akuel Kot (22) splits two defenders en route to the basket.

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 11/18/2022 9:08:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Athletic Communications Assistant

Skyhawks soar past Eagles 88-63 in home opener

DURANGO, Colo. – As a part of the Nike N7 Games and Skyhawks Hardwood Classic, the Fort Lewis College men's basketball team topped Northern New Mexico College 88-63 Friday night. The Skyhawks move up to 3-0 overall to start the season while the Eagles fall to 2-6.

"It is so nice to finally be back home in Whalen," Fort Lewis College Head Coach Bob Pietrack said. "We have such an amazing small college basketball environment to compete in. Credit to Northern New Mexico, they are an NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) institution, and they played hard tonight. I believe our guys did an excellent job of setting the defensive tone early and putting us in a strong position to win. With the Nike N7 games tonight, I also want to express how proud our program is to be one of just eleven institutions across the country to partake in the event. These guys are proud to wear turquoise jerseys. So many of their friends, extended family, classmates, and fellow Skyhawks come from Native American backgrounds and communities. To be able to represent all of those in our community and across the country is a special honor."

Fort Lewis struck with a 10-0 run to open the game backed by a pair of three-point shots from Akuel Kot and Brendan La Rose. Leading by as many as 24 points in the opening half, the Skyhawks cruised to a 50-27 lead at halftime.

Out of the half, it remained all Skyhawks. Ra'Shjon Martinez made a free throw to extend the lead to 27 in the middle of the second half, and Fort Lewis maintained its twenty point lead for an 88-63 victory.

Kot was Fort Lewis' leading scorer with 19 points, finishing 6-11 from the floor, 3-6 from the three-point line, and 4-5 at the free-throw line. Junior Garbrah and Trevor Trost each provided 11 points, while La Rose and Obi Agbim supplied an additional 10 points each.

Sekou Dembele led the Skyhawks in rebounds in his home debut, nabbing 12 off the glass on the night.

Jamal Harris led Northern New Mexico in scoring, putting up 14 points alongside 4 steals and one block. Guillem Garcia added 12 points and Conner Kelly an additional 10 more.

The Eagles dominated the Skyhawks in points in the paint 38-28 and fast break points 20-9. The difference maker was turnovers, where the Skyhawks led 15-21 and 33-9 in points off turnovers.

NOTABLES
-Akuel Kot is now third in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in scoring, averaging 23.3 points per game.
-With his 12 rebounds tonight, Sekou Dembele has broken into the top ten rebound leaders in the RMAC at number seven, averaging 7.5 per game.
-Fort Lewis is now second in the RMAC in team scoring with an average of 83.7 per game.
-The Skyhawks are also second in the RMAC in three-point field goals, shooting 41.5% as a team.
-Fort Lewis also sits second in the RMAC in turnover margin with a +4.67 mark.

NEXT UP
The Skyhawks are right back at Whalen Gymnasium tomorrow afternoon for day two of the Skyhawks Hardwood Classic. Fort Lewis will take on Lone Star Conference member the University of Texas Permian Basin at 5:00 p.m.

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