Fort Lewis FLC 15-1,9-1 RMAC

Colo. Christian CC 7-11,3-8 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC

15-1,9-1 RMAC

Final

Jan. 14, 2023

Colo. Christian CC

7-11,3-8 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Fort Lewis FLC	41	39	80
Colo. Christian CC	24	38	62

Summary
Box Score

Angela Roberts, FLC Athletic Communications

Akuel Kot (22) step-back jump shot for two.

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/14/2023 9:34:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Athletic Communications Assistant

No. 15/17 Men’s Basketball cages Cougars to sweep conference road trip

LAKEWOOD, Colo. – After utilizing a 14-5 run to gain the early advantage, the Fort Lewis College men's basketball team (15-1, 9-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) never looked back, defeating Colorado Christian 80-62 in Lakewood, Colo., Saturday night.

Fort Lewis is now 2-0 on the road to start the new year and 4-1 on the road overall. Tonight's win also marks the fifth-straight for FLC. Colorado Christian falls to 8-10 overall and 3-7 in RMAC play.

"Road sweeps in the RMAC are extremely difficult, but I felt our seniors really played well tonight," Fort Lewis College Head Coach Bob Pietrack stated. "Dunnell Stafford held Colorado Christian's leading scorer to just two points, Akuel Kot was well, Kot, and JaQuaylon Mays led us in plus/minus. In these last two games, we've really established control early before the 10-minute mark. This has allowed us to dictate the pace, the lineups, and force our opponent to play on our terms. As we all know, however, the RMAC is a difficult conference, so we need to quickly turn the page and prepare to host Colorado Mesa (14-3, 9-2 RMAC) at home."

Akuel Kot gave the Cougars an offensive display, scoring 12 of his 27 total points in the opening half to put FLC ahead early. Brendan La Rose followed suit, scoring 11 of his 17 total points – a new career-high – after burying three consecutive three-point jump shots alongside a pair of free throws.

Colorado Christian attempted to keep pace offensively, shooting 41.67% (10-24) from the field in the first half, but nine of the Cougars 13 total turnovers tonight allowed the Skyhawks to stretch its lead to 41-24 at halftime.

The Cougars began to utilize the post in the second half where they would out-shoot the Skyhawks on points in the paint 30-20, however, Junior Garbrah grabbed a defensive rebound with 13:02 remaining in the game and took it the length of the court for the score and the 55-32 lead, Fort Lewis' largest of the night.

Isaiah Alonzo and the Cougars gave a strong effort, cutting the lead down to 15 on a mid-range jump shot from DJ McDonald, but the Skyhawks had built a lead too large to overcome, holding the lead above fifteen points above the remainder of the contest for the win.

Dunnell Stafford was the third and final double-figure scorer for FLC, matching his season-high with 14 points to complement his five rebounds, three steals, and two assists.

The Skyhawks out-shot CCU in every facet tonight, finishing 46.3% (25-54) from the floor, 40.7% (11-27) from the three-point line, and 82.6% (19-23) at the free throw line.

Alonzo led Colorado Christian with 18 points, McDonald supplied 15, and Noah Kon another 12 points. Additionally, Alonzo tallied six rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one block.

NOTABLES
-Brendan La Rose set a career-high with 17 points tonight.
-Dunnell Stafford tied his season-high with 14 points tonight.
-Akuel Kot's 27 points tonight marks his 10^th game this season with 20 points or more.
-JaQuaylon Mays five assists tonight marks his fifth game this season with five assists or more.
-Fort Lewis has now won back-to-back games in the CCU Event Center for the first time since 2011-12.

HOME SWEET HOME
After a commanding 2-0 sweep on the road, the Skyhawks will be back home in Whalen Gymnasium next week for a pair of conference matchups. First up on the slate are the Mavericks from Colorado Mesa on Friday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m. The rivalry matchup will be themed "White Out Night" presented by Durango Motor Company. The following Saturday, Jan. 21, Fort Lewis will host the Westminster Griffins (5-12, 4-7 RMAC) and seek to avenge its one loss of the season.

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