Colorado Mesa CMU 23-8,17-5 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC 19-8,15-6 RMAC

Colorado Mesa CMU

23-8,17-5 RMAC

Final

Feb. 26, 2022

Fort Lewis FLC

19-8,15-6 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	OT 1	F
Colorado Mesa CMU	32	37	12	81
Fort Lewis FLC	28	41	6	75

Summary
Box Score

Angela Roberts, FLC Athletic Communications

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/26/2022 11:42:00 PM | Angela Roberts, Athletic Communications Assistant

Skyhawks Fall in Overtime to Mavericks, Look Ahead to Hosting Opening Round of RMAC Tournament

DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College men's basketball team saw its win-streak snapped in front of a raucous environment inside of Whalen Gymnasium on Saturday night, falling in an overtime battle with Colorado Mesa University to close out the regular season.

Fort Lewis drops to 19-8 on the year and closed out the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference portion of its schedule at 15-6 overall. Mesa improves to 23-8 overall and 17-5 in the league.

"Tonight was a great basketball game between two really good teams. I tip my hat to Mesa, and this was what small college basketball is all about," commented head coach Bob Pietrack. "I'm really proud of our team for how we played and how hard we fought. Now we turn the page toward the RMAC Tournament."

Fort Lewis shot 35.9 percent (23-of-64) from the field compared to 42.9 percent (27-of-63) for Mesa. The Skyhawks were 6-of-22 from three versus a 9-of-29 clip for the Mavericks. Fort Lewis held a narrow 40-39 edge in rebounds on the night.

Redshirt senior Riley Farris lead the team with 22 points and 12 rebounds, followed closely by sophomore Akuel Kot at 21 points. Rounding out double-digit scoring for the group was the senior duo of JacQuess Hobbs and Corey Seng at 10 points apiece. Senior Will Wittman was second on the team with seven rebounds while Hobbs dished out a team-best five assists.

The Skyhawks started on a tear, going up by six before a pair of threes for the Mavericks tied it up. A layup from Seng gave Fort Lewis a one-possession edge, but Mesa benefitted from a 12-0 scoring run to go up 18-8 with 12:14 on the clock. Fort Lewis echoed the scoring onslaught, picking up threes from Hobbs and Kot to pull within two at 18-16. The teams tied the score and switched leads several times through the midway point of the half before back-to-back Maverick buckets saw the visitors ahead 29-24 with 5:26 to play. Junior Brenden Boatwright dropped in a layup with under two minutes to play, and the bucket stood as the last for the blue and gold with the score at 32-28 in favor of Mesa at half.

Mesa opened the second half with four points before a jumper from Kot had the score at 36-30. The Skyhawks worked to cut into the deficit, earning jumpers from Farris and Kot to trail by just two points with 14:22 remaining. The team continued to chip away and took an eventual lead courtesy of a Boatwright made basket with 11 minutes to play. The lead swapped sides yet again, this time with a Mesa three-pointer, but the Skyhawks would not go away quietly. Hobb took matters into his own hands, tallying four points to give his team a 56-55 edge with seven minutes to go.

The Hobbs rally kicked off a 7-0 scoring run to go up by six points before a Mesa jumper cut into the lead. Things got wild down the stretch as the Mavericks got up 67-66 with 1:42 to go. Farris reclaimed the lead for his team with a jumper, but the opposition mimicked the play with a basket of their own to take a 69-68 lead. Hobbs picked up a clutch steal in Mesa's final possession, converting for a free throw to send the teams to overtime knotted at 69-69.

The Skyhawks had a narrow lead at 74-73 midway through the overtime period via a Kot three, but the Mavericks scored on the following possession to go up 75-74 with 1:41 to play. Farris would make a free throw, tying the score at 75's, but that's as close at the home team would get. Mesa totaled six free throws down the stretch, closing out the contest in an 81-75 final score.

Fort Lewis (19-8, 15-6 RMAC) had earned the right to host the opening round of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament after finishing the regular season in third place in the league. The Skyhawks will be back inside of Whalen Gymnasium on Tuesday with a game-time and opponent yet to be announced by the league.

"It's an earned right to host during postseason play. Only four teams get the opportunity to host, and being the three seed in a 15 team league is an accomplishment in itself," said Pietrack. "We know that we need to win in order to keep playing, so just like the other seven teams in the tournament, we will be trying to get it done."

Prior to tonight's game, the team honored its four graduating seniors: Riley Farris, JacQuess Hobbs, Corey Seng, and Will Wittman. The group has been instrumental in the success of the Skyhawks program throughout their playing careers, and the impact of the group goes beyond what they will leave behind when the time comes to hang up their jerseys.

"Our senior class means a great deal to me. These are my ride-or-die players, and I am so thankful that they've been a part of it. They have been the fabric of our program for years, and will continue to be that as we look ahead into the postseason," noted Pietrack.

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