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Fort Lewis College Athletics

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Akuel Kot vs UTPB 2022-23
Angela Roberts, FLC Athletic Communications
Akuel Kot (22) steps back for a jumper shot over a Falcons defender.

Men's Basketball Hayden Mangan, Athletic Communications Assistant

No. 19 Skyhawks square off with Grizzlies, Mountaineers to open RMAC play

DURANGO, Colo. – In the hunt for the best start in program history, the Fort Lewis College men's basketball team is on the road and at home for a two-game series to open its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schedule featuring Adams State University and Western Colorado University.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Thursday, December 1
7:30 p.m.
Vs. Adams State
Plachy Hall
Alamosa, CO
 
Saturday, December 2
7:00 p.m.
Vs. Western Colorado
Whalen Gymnasium
Durango, CO
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Both games will be available for streaming free of charge on the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Network. Thursday's game will be broadcast courtesy of Adams State, and on Saturday fans can enjoy Fort Lewis' own Bob Bonnar and Rick O'Block on play-by-play and color.

WHALEN WINTER WONDERLAND
Saturday will be themed "Whalen Winter Wonderland", sponsored by A&L Coors. Fans are invited to dress in festive holiday attire and take photos with "Durango Santa" who will be in the lobby from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The Student Athlete-Advisory Committee will be in the lobby as well, collecting non-perishable food items to benefit the FLC Grub Hub. The Grub Hub is a student-led, basic needs justice organization committed to serving everyone—students, graduate students, staff, faculty, and community members—by breaking down the stigma behind food and housing security.
 
SERIES VS ADAMS STATE
Thursday's conference opener on the Grizzlies home turf will mark the 130th meeting all-time between the two programs. Adams State holds the advantage in Alamosa, besting the Skyhawks 28-26 all-time at ASU. Fort Lewis, however, holds the edge on the all-time series 72-57.
 
SCOUTING THE GRIZZLIES
Adams State rolls into Thursday's game with a 2-4 overall record thus far. The Grizzlies took down the University of Texas Permian Basin in its season opener 72-69, then fell to Western New Mexico, Texas Permian Basin, and Northern New Mexico College in succession.

"This week is going to be tough," Fort Lewis College Head Coach Bob Pietrack stated. "We've done well in our six non-conference games, but the 22-game RMAC schedule is a gauntlet. Adams State is a better team than the record shows, and to make things more difficult we've each gotten to watch the other team compete in four neutral site games. The RMAC as a whole is on a different level competition-wise, and we'll need to exceed that tomorrow night."
 
As a unit ASU averages 76.3 points per game while allowing opponents an average of 77.0 points per game. The Grizzlies are in the middle of the pack offensively among the conference, ranking seventh out of fifteen teams.
 
Junior Lamont Sanders leads the Adams State offense with an average of 18.0 points per game while shooting 44.3% from the field and 41.9% from beyond the arc. The six-foot Baltimore, Maryland, native is currently fifth in the RMAC in scoring average.
 
The Grizzlies achilles heels thus far has been turnovers allowing an average of 18.5 per game. With a -2.2 differential, opponents have taken advantage of an average of 18.7 points per game from said turnovers.
 
SERIES VS WESTERN COLORADO
Saturday's home contest will be the 124th meeting all-time between the Mountaineers and Skyhawks. Fort Lewis has owned the Mountaineers 83-40 all-time while currently riding a three-game winning streak. While Western Colorado found a pair of wins in 2020 and 2019 by scores of 87-83 and 82-68 respectively, Fort Lewis remains 12-3 against the Mountaineers since 2015.
 
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
Western Colorado finds themselves 2-2 overall to begin the 2022-23 campaign after a tough trip to the Lone Star State. The Mountaineers opened with back-to-back losses to Texas A&M International and Texas A&M Kingsville but managed to bounce back with wins over Simon Fraser and Northern New Mexico.

"Saturday's game at home will be huge for us," Pietrack said. "To be in Whalen Gymnasium in front of a home crowd, there is simply no better place to be. Between being on the road Thursday and facing Western Colorado for the first time this season, we'll need to really bring the energy and play at our best." 
 
The Mountaineers are a challenging team defensively, sitting eighth in the RMAC allowing just 69.3 points per game. Sophomore Robel Desta commands the floor for WCU, averaging 14.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. The six-foot-eight forward is the only Mountaineer averaging double-digit points and more than four rebounds per game.
 
The Skyhawks will need to keep Western Colorado off-balance, as the Mountaineers have had shooting struggles as of lately. As a team WCU is shooting just 38.5% from the field, 27.5% from the three-point line, and 72.0% at the free-throw line.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Fort Lewis is hot off of six-straight wins and completing a perfect non-conference schedule. Last week the Skyhawks faced off with the Savage Storm from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and the Skyhawks from Navajo Technical University.
 
FLC took care of the Savage Storm with room to spare, winning 99-85 to give the Skyhawks a perfect 4-0 record against regional opponents. In game two with Navajo Tech, Fort Lewis made quick work of the opposing Skyhawks 120-78.
 
LEADING THE NATION
Junior Akuel Kot is off to one of the best starts in college basketball this year. In just six games Kot has broken the program's all-time single-game scoring record with 45 points against Texas Permian Basin and has posted final point totals of 22, 29, 19, 34, and 26 in the other five remaining games. The Amarillo, Texas, native leads all of Division II averaging 29.2 points per game with a 3.8-point gap between the next closest player.
 
With Kot at the helm, Fort Lewis currently averages 95.7 points per game, giving the Skyhawks the sixth-highest scoring offense across Division II.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
After this week's contest, the Skyhawks will hit the road for a trio of games across two weeks. Fort Lewis will begin at New Mexico Highlands on Friday, Dec. 9, followed by Colorado State University Pueblo on Saturday, Dec. 10, and lastly Westminster College on Saturday, Dec. 17.
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Players Mentioned

Akuel Kot

#22 Akuel Kot

G
6' 2"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Akuel Kot

#22 Akuel Kot

6' 2"
Junior
G