Regis (CO) Regis 12-17,9-13 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC 26-3,19-3 RMAC

Regis (CO) Regis

12-17,9-13 RMAC

Final

Feb. 28, 2023

Fort Lewis FLC

26-3,19-3 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Regis (CO) Regis	45	44	89
Fort Lewis FLC	42	54	96

Summary
Box Score

Angela Roberts, FLC Athletic Communications

Obi Agbim (5) sinking a trey over the Rangers.

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/28/2023 9:59:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Athletic Communications Assistant

No. 10 Skyhawks felled Rangers 96-89, advanced to face No. 16 Black Hills State in RMAC Tournament Semifinals

DURANGO, Colo. – Fort Lewis never led by more than three points until 5:18 remained in the contest, but that was all the tenth-ranked Skyhawks needed as Akuel Kot went for 25-points while Obi Agbim provided 22 more to defeat the Regis University Rangers 96-89 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinals Tuesday night in Whalen Gymnasium.

The Skyhawks, now 26-3 overall, will head to Grand Junction, Colorado, to take on third-seeded and 16^th-ranked Black Hills State University (25-4) in the RMAC Tournament Semifinals. The Yellow Jackets advanced after defeating sixth-seeded Westminster College (Utah) (13-16) 80-69 in Spearfish, South Dakota. Regis finishes the season 12-17 and 9-13 in RMAC play.

"Great RMAC playoff game between two schools that are championship caliber programs," head coach Bob Pietrack shared. "We weathered a bevy of shots early, things didn't go our way, and there were multiple times we were ready to break through but couldn't. I really tip my hat to Regis. I thought they played very well, especially their seniors. We knew it would be a tough fight, but I'm just really proud of our guys tonight and excited to get on to the semifinal."

Kot's 25 points tonight lifts his season total to 701 and sets the new program record for single-season scoring. Kot breaks Joshua Blaylock's (2016-17) and Alex Herrera's (2014-15) previous record of 687. Now with 1,612 career points, Kot ranks sixth in all-time career points scored.

Regis stormed into Whalen with authority tonight, putting the Skyhawks on their heels early and taking a 10-3 lead, Regis' largest of the first half, on a pair of free throws from Aaron Bokol. Eddy Egun was the hot hand for the Rangers in the opening half, scoring 14 of his team-leading 21 points to give Regis a 45-42 lead heading into halftime.

Both sides finished above 50.0% from the field and just shy of 40.0% from the three-point line in the opening half, but it was the Skyhawks converting on just five of ten free throw attempts that relinquished the lead.

Fort Lewis came out of the half swinging, making five consecutive baskets capped off with a mid-range jumper from Dunnell Stafford for the Skyhawks' first lead of the night, 52-51. The Rangers responded promptly, scoring ten consecutive baskets of their own to recapture a 67-64 lead.

Prior to the eight-minute mark, Kot was sent to the lie for a pair of free throws that he would use to tie the contest 77-77, right on time for Agbim to find nothing but net from beyond the arc for the final lead change of the night. Regis forced a tie once more at 81-81 thanks to a pair of free throws from Jasdeep Singh, but Fort Lewis pulled away one final time to secure its trip to the next round of the RMAC Tournament.

Fort Lewis out-shot Regis from the floor 55.9% to 51.7%. The Rangers held the edge from beyond the arc 38.1% to 37.0% and at the charity stripe 91.3% to 76.9%, but it was in second chance and fast break points that proved to be the difference maker as FLC led it 22-11 and 14-2 respectively.

Kot and Agbim combined for 47 points tonight while Stafford back them up with 16 of his own, and both JaQuaylon Mays and Brenden Boatwright had the final 13 each. The Rangers had five of their own finish in double figures led by Egun with 21, Bokol with 16, David Simental with 15, Singh 14, and Chase Mayo Harmon with the final 10.

NOTABLES
-With 25 points tonight, Akuel Kot has set the new single-season scoring record at Fort Lewis with 701.
-Akuel Kot and Obi Agbim's scored just the second 20 & 20 game for the Skyhawks this season. (JaQuaylon Mays [26] & Kot [21] against Black Hills State, 2-17-23).
-With tonight's win, Fort Lewis secures just the third season in program history with 26 or more wins.
-Obi Agbim set a new season-high with 22 points scored tonight.
-Fort Lewis avenges last season's RMAC Tournament Quarterfinal loss to Regis and earn the first postseason win in Whalen Gymnasium since defeating Western Colorado University 88-73 back on Feb 27, 2018.

SUSTAINING CHAMPIONS
The Fort Lewis College Men's Basketball team just solidified their place in history as Co-RMAC Conference Champions. Thank you for staying connected and following the record-breaking regular season. You can continue to team up with the Skyhawks through the sustaining champion's campaign. This campaign will help prepare the program for the post-season as well as the future. Your donation to support Skyhawks Basketball will help ensure our coaches are equipped with the resources necessary to continue recruiting quality student-athletes and sustain championship-level performance. You will also create a memorable post-season experience and other program enhancements for all involved.

The Department of Athletics is extremely proud of the accomplishments of our student-athletes in the classroom, in the community, and in competition. We invite you to join our sustaining champions campaign to enhance the student-athlete experience. Every donation makes a difference and supports our mission of graduating champions. Reminder to stay connected for more information about the post-season at GoSkyhawks.com. Thank you again for your continued support. If you would like to donate, click HERE. To The Top!

CHAMPIONSHIP APPAREL
Fort Lewis College RMAC Conference Championship apparel is now available for purchase through BSN Sports HERE. Use the access code, 'YLpyTr1Cqa' to access all of the Skyhawks postseason conference gear. The deadline for orders is next Monday, Mar. 6.

SEMIFINALS BOUND
Fort Lewis will now head to Grand Junction, Colo., and Brownson Arena for the third matchup of the season against third-seeded and 16^th-ranked Black Hills State. The game is scheduled for Friday, Mar. 3, and the official start time has yet to be announced.

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