Westminster (UT) WC-UT 11-16,9-12 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC 19-7,15-5 RMAC

Westminster (UT) WC-UT

11-16,9-12 RMAC

Final

Feb. 24, 2022

Fort Lewis FLC

19-7,15-5 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Westminster (UT) WC-UT	22	49	71
Fort Lewis FLC	40	37	77

Summary
Box Score

Angela Roberts, FLC Athletic Communications

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/24/2022 11:02:00 PM | Angela Roberts, Athletic Communications Assistant

Skyhawks Win Eighth in a Row, Set Up Big Saturday Matchup

DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College men's basketball team extended its win streak to eight straight with a 77-71 decision over Westminster College inside of Whalen Gymnasium on Thursday night. The Skyhawks improve to 19-7 overall and 15-5 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in their first home game since February 5^th.

"Home court advantage in college basketball is a key factor, and it felt great to be home again," said head coach Bob Pietrack. "Historically, we have been very good inside of Whalen Gymnasium, and we had a great crowd for a Thursday. With tonight's win, we know that we are going to get another chance to be home come Tuesday for the RMAC Tournament opening round."

Fort Lewis shot 42.1 percent (24-of-57) from the field compared to 43.5 percent (27-of-62) for Westminster. The Skyhawks shot 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from beyond the arc versus 39.1 percent (9-of-23) for the Griffins. Fort Lewis held an advantage when it came to free throws, knocking down 17 to just eight for Westminster. The rebound advantage sat with the Skyhawks as the team came away with 38 versus 33 for the Griffins.

Sophomore Akuel Kot led the team in scoring, going 4-of-6 from deep for 21 total points. Redshirt senior Riley Farris followed with 10 points to go along with a team-best seven rebounds. Senior Corey Seng and Farris each dished out three assists to pace the team. The Skyhawks saw points from nine different players for a well-rounded offensive outing.

Kot picked up a quick pair of threes to start the game, but the Griffins fought back to go ahead 8-6 after four minutes of play. Five players scored over the following four minutes, capped off by a huge three from Brendan La Rose to see the Skyhawks up 20-14 midway through the half. The three kicked off a 9-0 scoring run which saw a trio of jumpers and a long three from senior Will Wittman. The Griffins broke the spell with a layup, but the offensive roll continued into the final five minutes of the half. Dunnell Stafford and Kot combined for a pair of threes down the stretch, giving Fort Lewis a sizeable 40-22 lead heading into the break.

The Griffins came out on a mission in the second half, going on a 10-0 scoring run before a layup from La Rose had the score at 42-32. Kot chipped in five points over the course of two possessions, but Westminster countered with buckets of their own to keep the game within reach. Fort Lewis would then kick it into high gear for another scoring run, this time of the 12-0 flavor to put the home team ahead 59-38 with 9:22 to play.

Westminster wouldn't go down without a fight as the road squad put together a gritty stretch to pull within five points with 2:18 remaining in the contest. Seng knocked down a pair of free throws to build the lead back up, but the Griffins countered with a fast-break layup to see the score at 70-65. Moments later, the Griffins had the Skyhawks lead at just four points with two from the charity stripe. Senior JacQuess Hobbs stepped up for four clutch free throws in the final seconds to rebuild an insurmountable lead, and the Skyhawks ran time out on a 77-71 home win.

"Westminster is a very proud program with great coaches. We've played them in a championship in the past, and this is a good, clean rivalry between our two schools. They were playing for their playoff lives tonight, and we knew that even when we got up that it would be a fight until the end," acknowledged Pietrack.

Fort Lewis (19-7, 15-5 RMAC) will play its final regular-season home game on Saturday night versus Colorado Mesa University. The team will honor its four seniors, Riley Farris, JacQuess Hobbs, Corey Seng, and Will Wittman prior to the 7:00 p.m. tipoff. The game will also serve as this season's whiteout game with free t-shirts given to the first 400 students in attendance.

The game has big implications as both teams are battling for post-season positioning heading into the RMAC Tournament. Fort Lewis has secured an opening-round home game which will be played next Tuesday, but Saturday's contest with Colorado Mesa will determine which seed the Skyhawks earn.

"When you come to play college basketball and you coach college basketball, you want to play in games that are significant in February and March. Our players have worked hard to have the opportunity to play in a big game," noted Pietrack. "Colorado Mesa has done the same which will make for a really fun game come Saturday. This is what small college basketball is all about. You have two rivals that respect each other and play hard competing head to head in a big game.

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