Fort Lewis FLC 13-2,8-1 RMAC

Regis (CO) Regis 8-7,5-4 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC

13-2,8-1 RMAC

Final

Jan. 13, 2024

Regis (CO) Regis

8-7,5-4 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Fort Lewis FLC	42	39	81
Regis (CO) Regis	43	37	80

Summary
Box Score

JoJo Lutz, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications

Malik Whitaker (24) scored his season-high 24 points on 57 percent shooting.

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/13/2024 8:14:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

Whitaker’s double-double wills No. 9/16 Fort Lewis past Regis, 81-80

The Skyhawks' 24 offensive rebounds is the most since at least 2013-14 when season statistics were last available

DENVER, Colo. – Battling pinpoint three-point shooting and elite passing for the second straight night, it took dominant post-play, phenomenal offensive rebounding, and a 24-point double-double from Malik Whitaker for the ninth-ranked Fort Lewis men's basketball team to escape Regis on the road with an 81-80 nail-biting victory Saturday night in the Regis Field House.

The Skyhawks bounce back from last night's loss to move up to 13-2 overall and 8-1 in league play while Regis falls to 8-7 overall and 5-4 in RMAC contests.

Post-play was critical in Fort Lewis' success as the Skyhawks led the Rangers in both points in the paint 38-22 and total rebounding 44-34 while also dominating on the offensive glass with 24 offensive rebounds that led to 21 second-chance points. RU tallied just seven offensive boards for seven second-chance points.

Whitaker finished his evening 8-14 (57.1 percent) from the field while draining three treys and knocking down both free throws with 6.8 seconds on the clock to all but assure the Skyhawks victory following one last defensive stand.

Regis was red-hot from beyond the arc to open the night, knocking down 10 of its first 13 shots including six treys. The Rangers controlled the first-half pace and led by as many as nine points before Fort Lewis found themselves trailing 43-42 at halftime.

Out of the intermission, the Skyhawks saw a brief two-point lead before RU recaptured the lead with a five-point advantage on a four-point play by Olafur Styrmisson. From then on it was a nearly a one-possession game through the final 15 minutes. The Skyhawks managed to force three lead changes before Whitaker grabbed his biggest offensive rebound of the night to book a trip to the line and steal away the win from the Rangers.

Regis knocked down its second-most three-pointers in a single game this season with 16 on 33 attempts (48.5 percent) while also registering 22 assists; the most by the Rangers since 2018.

Five Rangers finished in double figures led by Eddy Egun who did it all on both ends of the floor with 15 points, two rebounds, two steals, an assist, and a block. Ty Cox and Chase Mayo Hardman each went for 14 points while Styrmisson and Jalen Brown added another 10 each.

Junior Garbrah scored 13 points and grabbed two rebounds while having a perfect 4-4 night at the charity stripe. Jhei-R Jones also added another 11 points on 4-8 (50 percent) shooting with a pair of three-pointers to go alongside four rebounds, two assists, and a team-high three steals.

Quotables
"I thought tonight was an excellent college basketball game between two storied, championship-caliber programs. We withstood another huge punch tonight with their three-point shooting on top of being unable to convert at the free-throw line. I loved the resiliency and grit our guys showed tonight to fight through all of the adversity and come out on top. This was a sweet win for us being on the road for now two consecutive weeks. Now we get to go home, practice, and get better; and these guys are locked in and committed to getting better." – Head Coach Bob Pietrack

"Malik was the difference tonight, his energy, ability on the offensive glass, that's what big-time seniors do. Games like tonight are when we need guys like him to be at their best and he certainly was." – Pietrack

Notables
-Whitaker's 24-point, 10-rebound double-double is his first with the Skyhawks and the ninth of his career.
-For the first time this season, Fort Lewis had more offensive rebounds than defensive.
-The Skyhawks have made no more than 10 turnovers in each of its last three games while
-Fort Lewis' 8-17 (47.1 percent) shooting from beyond the arc is the most efficient three-point shooting performance this season.
-FLC is now 5-0 this season when three Skyhawks score in double figures.
-The Skyhawks have now won three straight over Regis and move to 47-37 all-time against the Rangers.

Home Sweet Home
Fort Lewis is back at home in Whalen Gymnasium and Durango, Colo., next week for another pair of RMAC games against Chadron State (8-6, 5-3 RMAC) and Colorado Christian (7-7, 3-5 RMAC) on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 19-20.

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