Colo. Christian CC 8-9,4-7 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC 15-2,10-1 RMAC

Colo. Christian CC

8-9,4-7 RMAC

Final

Jan. 20, 2024

Fort Lewis FLC

15-2,10-1 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Colo. Christian CC	31	31	62
Fort Lewis FLC	43	51	94

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Obi Agbim (5) led all scorers with 18 points tonight on 7-13 shooting with four three-pointers.

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/20/2024 9:42:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

No. 12 Skyhawks rout Colorado Christian 94-62, earn 10th conference win of the year

Fort Lewis is now 22-2 at home over last two seasons

DURANGO, Colo. – Energized by its second 2,000+ crowd in as many nights, the 12^th-ranked Fort Lewis men's basketball team moved to 15-2 overall and 10-1 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play after a 55-53-87 shooting effort by the Skyhawks overwhelmed Colorado Christian (8-9, 4-7 RMAC) 94-62 inside a rocking Whalen Gymnasium.

Fort Lewis, who has won its last two games by an average scoring margin of 24 points, capped off the weekend with its most efficient shooting performance of the season at 55.2 percent (32-58) from the field, 53.3 percent (16-30) from beyond the arc – the most made threes this season – and 87.5 percent (14-16) at the charity stripe.

Riding the hot hand from a one-point victory last night in Alamosa, Colo., Colorado Christian jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead while FLC came up empty on its first two trips to the front court. However, the early advantage was short-lived as Fort Lewis forced a trio of ties before three treys from Obi Agbim and a fourth from Samier Kinsler dialed up a 31-23 Skyhawks lead.

On the back of 54 percent (17-31) shooting and nine three-pointers in the second half, the Skyhawks exploded to lead by as many as 36 points on a corner trey from Junior Garbrah in transition.

Colorado Christian, for the first time since Eastern New Mexico back on Nov. 18, out-scored FLC on points in the paint 28-22. On the flip side, Fort Lewis racked up a season-high 59 points from its bench. In addition, the Skyhawks outscored the Cougars 29-15 on points in the paint and doubled up CCU on turnovers, 8-16.

Agbim led the roster with 18 points with Kinsler in tow with 16 as each Skyhawk knocked down four treys on the night. Malik Whitaker, who has gone for 14+ points in five of his last seven games, added 15 points of his own while Brayden Carter finished a rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and a game-high nine boards.

Jacob Everson led Colorado Christian with 14 points, two rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Bradley Land was the only other Cougar to finish in double figures with 12 points on 5-6 shooting a 2-2 trip to the free-throw line.

Quotables
On tonight's performance against Colorado Christian:
"Really happy with our defensive intensity. We spotted them seven points to start the game from that point on defensively I thought we controlled the game. Shot the ball well, made free throws… shared it great, didn't turn it over much, and after the first four minutes I thought it was a really complete game by our team, rebounds, the whole thing." – Head Coach Bob Pietrack

On the energy and feeling of playing in Whalen Gymnasium:
"To be honest, I love it. That's one of the things Coach said when we first got recruited, me and Malik, coming from our last situation. We love it, it's a shared energy, makes you want to play, makes you excited, so I can't complain at all." – Junior guard Samier Kinsler

On the energy and feeling of playing in Whalen Gymnasium:
"It's amazing man, it's the kind of the thing that every hooper dreams of. You go into the gym and you look up at both sides of the gym and it's packed out, everyone's cheering for you. It's a dream come true honestly, a blessing." – Senior guard Malik Whitaker

Notables
-Fort Lewis was out-scored in the paint for just the third time this season but also racked up a season-high 59 points off the bench.
-The Skyhawks have now won four consecutive matchups with the Cougars and move to 34-15 all-time against CCU and 21-1 at home in Whalen Gymnasium.
-Malik Whitaker has now gone for 14 or more points in five of his last seven outings.
-Fort Lewis' 55.2 percent field goal percentage, 53.3 percent three-point percentage, and 87.5 percent free-throw percentage marks the Skyhawks' most efficient shooting outing of the season.
-FLC is now 8-0 when at least four or more Skyhawks finish in double digits.

Champ vs. Champ
Next weekend Fort Lewis has one of its most critical road trips of the season on deck as the 12^th-ranked Skyhawks challenge eighth-ranked Colorado Mesa (15-2, 11-0 RMAC) on the Mavericks' home floor on Friday, Jan. 26, at 7:30 p.m. FLC will then travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, for a Jan. 27 matchup at Westminster (5-12, 1-10 RMAC).

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