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Akuel Kot vs Regis - Jan 7, 2023
JoJo Lutz, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications
Akuel Kot (22) elevating through the lane for two.

Men's Basketball Hayden Mangan, Athletic Communications Assistant

No. 5/6 Skyhawks welcome Regis for RMAC Quarterfinals

DURANGO, Colo. – With the 2022-23 regular season in the books there is only one goal left: win and advance. The fifth-ranked and second-seeded Fort Lewis College men's basketball team will look to do just that tomorrow night against the visiting, seventh-seeded Regis University Rangers for the quarterfinal round of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament inside Whalen Gymnasium.
 
The game will be streamed live on both the RMAC Network and YouTube. Tickets are available for purchase now through the RMAC Tournament website HERE. While tickets will be available the day of at the box office, fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets ahead of time online. All RMAC students will be granted free admission with a collegiate ID.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Skyhawks (25-3, 19-3 RMAC) enter Tuesday following a 1-1 week to close out the regular season and a tough loss at home to 15th-ranked Colorado School of Mines, 75-64. Fort Lewis downed Metropolitan State University of Denver 80-61 on Friday night to secure a share of the RMAC regular season championship and a two-seed or better in the conference tournament. On Friday, Akuel Kot led a quartet of Skyhawks in double figures with 17 points to handle the Roadrunners. Fort Lewis held the Denver foe to 34.4% shooting from the field and 19.0% from beyond the arc. Saturday was a different story, however, as the Skyhawks finished just 32.8% from the floor and 21.4% from the three-point line against a talented Mines defense. The Orediggers also out-rebounded FLC 42-30.
 
SCOUTING THE RANGERS
Regis (12-16, 9-13 RMAC), much like the Skyhawks, enters Tuesday's game following a loss in the regular season finale. The Rangers were felled by Colorado State University-Pueblo (12-16, 8-14 RMAC) by a score of 77-62. Regis closed out its regular season by winning two of its final five contests.
 
The Rangers are no strangers to postseason play in Whalen Gymnasium, as last season the third-seeded Rangers upset the third-seeded Skyhawks 86-81 in Durango, Colo. Last year the sharp-shooting Regis team finished 53.8% from the field and 40.0% from deep led by a 25-point performance from Illisia Washington.
 
Regis has a new look this season, led by six-foot-two graduate student David Simental. The University of Nebraska-Kearney transfer is leading the Rangers with 16.0 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Off the glass, Aaron Bokol leads the roster with 8.4 rebounds per game: a mark that ranks fourth in the RMAC.
 
As a unit, the Rangers rank 12th in the conference in offensive points per game (72.0) and 11th in defensive points per game (76.2). Regis, who has allowed opponents to shoot 48.5% from the floor and 35.1% from the three-point line, will need to find a way to close the rebounding gap which Fort Lewis leads 34.9 per game to 31.3 per game to slow down the speedy Skyhawks offense.
 
RMAC TOURNEY AT A GLANCE
2-seed Fort Lewis College (25-3, 19-3 RMAC) vs. 7-seed Regis University (12-16, 9-13 RMAC)
6:00 p.m. | Whalen Gymnasium | Durango, Colorado
 
1-seed Colorado Mesa University (24-4, 19-3 RMAC) vs. 8-seed MSU Denver (12-16, 9-13 RMAC)
7:00 p.m. | Brownson Arena | Grand Junction, Colorado
 
3-seed Black Hills State University (24-4, 18-4 RMAC) vs. 6-seed Westminster College (13-15, 12-10 RMAC)
7:00 p.m. | Donald E. Young Center | Spearfish, South Dakota
 
4-seed Colorado School of Mines (24-4, 18-4 RMAC) vs. 5-seed Chadron State College (19-9, 16-6 RMAC)
7:30 p.m. | Lockridge Arena | Golden, Colorado
 
SURVIVE AND ADVANCE
Should Fort Lewis emerge victorious Tuesday night, the Skyhawks will take on the winner of third-seeded Black Hills State and sixth-seeded Westminster College. If Colorado Mesa falls in the quarterfinal round and the Skyhawks win, Fort Lewis would then re-earn the right to host the semifinals and final rounds of the RMAC Tournament. If the Skyhawks fall Tuesday night, they will await selection Sunday on Mar. 5 for a chance at the NCAA South-Central Regional.
 
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Players Mentioned

Akuel Kot

#22 Akuel Kot

G
6' 2"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Akuel Kot

#22 Akuel Kot

6' 2"
Junior
G