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Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

Brenden Boatwright 2.11
David Wilson, FLC Athletics
FLC redshirt junior Brenden Boatwright posted a double-double Friday with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
62
Winner Fort Lewis FLC 13-7,9-5 RMAC
60
Colo. Sch. of Mines CSM 13-8,11-6 RMAC
Winner
Fort Lewis FLC
13-7,9-5 RMAC
62
Final
60
Colo. Sch. of Mines CSM
13-8,11-6 RMAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Fort Lewis FLC 34 28 62
Colo. Sch. of Mines CSM 16 44 60

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

Skyhawks snap Orediggers' eight-game win streak, sweep season series for first time since 2015-16

GOLDEN, Colo. — Braving a blizzard and the beginning of a pivotal six-game road trip, the Fort Lewis College men's basketball team used a monster first-half performance to earn a 62-60 victory Friday evening over Colorado School of Mines inside Lockridge Arena.

The win marked the first time since 2015-16 that the Skyhawks (13-7 overall, 9-5 RMAC), who stormed out to a 34-16 lead in the first half on Friday, have swept the season series against the Orediggers (13-8 overall, 11-6 RMAC). FLC's victory also snapped an eight-game winning streak for Colorado School of Mines, which has been red hot since the calendar flipped to 2022.

"It's a big win for us and I credit Colorado School of Mines because it is such a great program. I told our guys at halftime, 'This thing is far from over,'" said FLC head men's basketball coach, Bob Pietrack. "I'm just so proud of our guys to come into an environment like this and be ready for a heavyweight fight. And to find a way to win after we squandered that big lead. Just immensely proud of our guys."

Colorado School of Mines did not go quietly, going on a 10-0 scoring run between the 3:43 and 0:07 marks of the second half to tie the game at 60-60 on a pair of free throws from Ben Boone.

Mines' free throws gave FLC, which was out of time outs, a chance to chat quickly on the sidelines and set up the dramatic final seconds that saw senior guard JacQuess Hobbs take the ball coast-to-coast and draw a blocking foul with 2.9 seconds remaining.

Hobbs calmly buried both from the charity stripe for two of his four points, allowing FLC to sub in its big lineup to force a tough final heave by the Orediggers and sealing the 62-60 final.

"We told the guys, 'Whichever guard gets the in-bounds pass, just go all the way to the basket,'" Pietrack said. "He got all the way, drew the block and stuck both free throws. Then we were able to sub some size back in and make sure that Mines would have a tough last shot."

It was a thrilling end to what began as an overwhelming start for the Skyhawks. The top scoring team in the RMAC was led by its defense on Friday, limiting the Orediggers to a frigid 21% shooting in the first half (5-of-24).

Colorado School of Mines was able to find some rhythm in the second half, in large part to the performance of reigning RMAC Player of the Year Brendan Sullivan as he poured in 20 of his game-high 22 points, but were still held well below its season average of 73.8 points per game.

"We had a good game plan. Coach Ty (Tyler Danielson) had us in a really good spot, defensively. We were switching some ball screens, locking and trailing different stuff and just mixing it up," Pietrack said. "Mines is such a smart team that, if you don't mix it up on them a little bit, you can get in trouble fast. In the second half, we were doing a lot of the same stuff. Just their seniors (Engesser and Sullivan) were outstanding, especially Sullivan. You can see why he is an All-American."

As for the Skyhawks' offense, they shot an uncharacteristic 37% from the floor (23-of-63), but received two big-time performances from their All-RMAC front court in Riley Farris and Brenden Boatwright.

Farris led all FLC players with 20 points, making a season-best 4-of-6 from the 3-point line, while Boatwright notched his second career double-double — both coming this season against the Orediggers — with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

"Those guys were prime time (Friday)," Pietrack said of Farris and Boatwright. "They were really good and I thought our guards did a great job taking care of the ball tonight, as well. We only turned the ball over 11 times; only three times in the second half."

Senior guard Corey Seng added seven points, three rebounds and two assists, while sophomore guard Akuel Kot finished with nine points and sophomore forward Brendan La Rose chipped in five points and five rebounds in his 12 minutes.

Fort Lewis will now turn its attention toward a Saturday night clash against No. 23 Regis University, aiming for its second straight road sweep. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. inside the Regis Field House.

"This was a big win for our program, but we've got to move forward with Regis now and understand we're playing a ranked team on the road," Pietrack said. "Regis is a very good basketball team and we're playing in a building that's very hard to win. The fact they beat us earlier this year (81-71) adds a little extra. But once the ball is tipped, it's about execution. And we're going to have to execute well tomorrow night to have a chance to beat a team as good as Regis."
 
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