Fort Lewis FLC 17-2,11-2 RMAC

Colo. Sch. of Mines CSM 18-2,12-2 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC

17-2,11-2 RMAC

Final

Jan. 27, 2023

Colo. Sch. of Mines CSM

18-2,12-2 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Fort Lewis FLC	43	50	93
Colo. Sch. of Mines CSM	44	43	87

Summary
Box Score

Hayden Mangan, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications

Akuel Kot (22) shoots a trey over an Orediggers defender.

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/27/2023 9:52:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Athletic Communications Assistant

No. 17/RV Skyhawks upset No. 5/6 Mines in Lockridge Arena

GOLDEN, Colo. – Akuel Kot paved the way with 34 points, JaQuaylon Mays supplied an additional 15, Obi Agbim 13, and Brenden Boatwright 11 as elite shooting lifted the seventeenth-ranked Fort Lewis College men's basketball team past fifth-ranked Colorado School of Mines in a hostile Lockridge Arena on Friday night.

Fort Lewis advances to 17-2 overall and 11-2 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. Additionally, tonight's win is the Skyhawks first over a top-ten opponent on the road in program history. Mines takes just its second loss of the season falling to 18-2 overall and 12-2 in RMAC play.

"That was a signature win for our program this season," Fort Lewis College Head Coach Bob Pietrack said. "We played one of the very best teams in the country tonight and I can't compliment Mines enough and just how good they are. That was about as good as we can play offensively. We were patient, shot it very well, made our free throws, and kept it to seven turnovers in a tough environment."

It was an offensive showdown from the opening tip in Golden as the Skyhawks outshot Mines from the field 53.8 to 50.7 percent. While both sides seemingly could not miss, a hook shot from Boatwright gave Fort Lewis the early 23-19 advantage. The Orediggers would respond, however, recapturing the lead and stretching it to as many as eight points following a turnaround jumper from Adam Krasovec for the 31-23 lead.

Kot tallied 18 of his 34 points in the opening half as the Skyhawks went shot-for-shot with the Orediggers but after six lead changes and back-to-back scores by Mines, a layup from Adam Thistlewood with three seconds remaining put the home team back on top before halftime 44-43.

While the Orediggers had the favored home crowd behind them, Fort Lewis would not falter. Scoring the opening bucket of the second half, the Skyhawks had an answer for anything Mines could throw at them and yet another step-back jump shot from Kot gave FLC a ten-point lead, 58-48.

Mines, with the home crowd behind them, began to demonstrate how they earned the number five ranking, and after a turnaround jump shot from Kai Barr, Fort Lewis held the edge by just a single-digit 67-66.

Fort Lewis was unfazed, however, and a 13-5 run put the Skyhawks back on top 80-71 with just over three minutes remaining. The Orediggers would make four-straight baskets to close it out, but FLC made 11 of its final 12 shots to hold off Mines and put an end to their nine-game winning streak.

"Credit to Mines once again, tonight was a battle of two really good basketball teams, but the ball bounced our way enough to come out on top," Pietrack added.

Kot finished the night 11-17 from the floor, 2-5 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 10-10 at the free throw line to lead all scorers with 34 points. Mays just missed his second double-double of the season with eight rebounds to pair with his 15 points.

Mines finished with five individuals in double figures led by Krasovec with 16 while Adam Thistlewood and Riley Schroeder each provided 12, Reagan Koch 11, and Brendan Sullivan 10.

The Skyhawks doubled the Orediggers in trips to the free-throw line 16 to eight while Mines dominated FLC on points in the paint 42 to 28 and held the edge in rebounds 37 to 31.

NOTABLES
-Akuel Kot notched his fifth game with 30 or more points tonight and his 13^th with 20 or more points. He has yet to be held under double digits this season.
-Brendan La Rose tallied his fourth game this season with three or more blocks and his second-straight game with three.
-Tonight's win is the first in program history over a National Association of Basketball Coaches or Division II College Sports Communicators top-ten ten on the road.
-Tonight marks the sixth game this season with four individual Skyhawks finishing with double-digit points.
-Fort Lewis has now won three-straight games over Colorado School of Mines.

BACK-TO-BACK
Fort Lewis is right back on the hardwood tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 28, in Denver, Colo., for a matchup against Metropolitan State University of Denver. The Skyhawks and Roadrunners are slated for a 6:00 p.m. tip-off at the Auraria Event Center. The game will be televised on KWGN-Channel 2. FLC alumni and Skyhawks fans are invited to attend a pre-game social gathering at Tivoli Brewing company on the campus of MSU Denver prior to tip-off. Doors to the event will open at 2:30 p.m. If you plan on attending, please RSVP HERE or contact the Director of Alumni Engagement, Ryan Lazo, with any questions at rtlazo@fortlewis.edu.

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