Fort Lewis FLC 16-2,11-1 RMAC

Colorado Mesa CMU 15-3,11-1 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC

16-2,11-1 RMAC

Final

Jan. 26, 2024

Colorado Mesa CMU

15-3,11-1 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Fort Lewis FLC	40	47	87
Colorado Mesa CMU	37	42	79

Summary
Box Score

Hayden Mangan, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications

Malik Whitaker (24) led the Skyhawks scoring effort with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and one assist and steal.

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/26/2024 10:02:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

Elite shooting and balanced scoring effort lifts No. 8 Skyhawks past No. 7 Colorado Mesa on the road

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Samier Kinsler sunk a trey and buried three free throws at the 6:18 minute mark and it was the final lead change the Skyhawks needed as the eighth-ranked Fort Lewis men's basketball team marched into seventh-ranked Colorado Mesa in a rematch of last season's co-RMAC regular season champions and handed the Mavericks an 87-79 loss in a thunderous Brownson Arena.

Fort Lewis defeats its third top-10 opponent on the road in the last two seasons to move up to 16-2 overall while Colorado Mesa falls to 15-3. The Skyhawks and Mavericks now have an identical 11-1 mark in RMAC play with FLC owning the head-to-head advantage.

The Skyhawks and Mavericks put on a show in the opening half of what would be an instant classic, with Colorado Mesa owning the edge in shooting 52 percent (13-15) to Fort Lewis' 51.5 percent (17-33). In addition to leading by as many as seven points in the early minutes, CMU buried eight three-pointers with only five scores coming from within the arc.

Fort Lewis' biggest advantage, however, was maintaining a balanced foul count while forcing 13 of the Mavs' 22 total turnovers on the night in the first half – the Skyhawks ended the night winning the turnover battle 2-1 (22-11) and scoring 37 points off of turnovers to CMU's 13.

Both sides exchanged 16 lead changes throughout the night, with the final occurring on a trio of free throws from Kinsler, 72-69, after he found nothing but net with a step-back trey the possession prior. The Skyhawks closed out the final minutes 5-6 from the field including a trio of three-pointers and free-throws from Jhei-R Jones to close it out.

Colorado Mesa, who entered the night with a plus 8.2 rebound margin, dominated off the glass with 37 rebounds to Fort Lewis' 26 while also picking up 21 second-chance points on 12 offensive rebounds.

Mac Riniker led all scorers and finished two points shy of matching his season-high with 28 points, five rebounds, two assists, and one steal and block. Trevor Baskin, who led the Mavs with nine rebounds, put up 13 points alongside Christopher Speller while Owen Koonce scored another 10.

Malik Whitaker guided FLC with 17 points on 6-11 shooting, including 5-7 shooting from deep, to pair with six rebounds, and an assist and steal. Obi Agbim, who registered 39 minutes on the night, scored another 14 points while leading the roster with seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Amondo Miller Jr. added 12 points of his own and Junior Garbrah another 10 to round the Skyhawks to finish in double figures.

Quotable
"Tonight was as great of a college basketball game as you'll ever see between two high-caliber programs. We knew what we were walking into tonight, and we thought if we could get it to the eight-minute mark, the final two media timeouts, we could give ourselves a chance to make the game-winning plays down the stretch. Our guys stayed together, hit some big-time shots, and played a very tough game tonight." – Head Coach Bob Pietrack

Notables
-Fort Lewis earned its third win over a top-10 opponent in the last two seasons.
-FLC snaps CMU's 20-game RMAC regular season win streak, eight-game home win streak, and seven-game regular season win streak.
-The Skyhawks still trail the Mavericks 63-45 all-time but have won back-to-back contests in Grand Junction.
-Four or more Skyhawks finished in double figures for the ninth time this season; Fort Lewis is undefeated when at least three Skyhawks finish in double digits.
-Malik Whitaker matched his career-high of five made three-pointers in a single contest.
-Obi Agbim matched his career-high of six assists in a single contest.
-The Skyhawks bench, who out-scored the Mavs 35-13, has out-scored opponents in 17 of the FLC's 18 games this season.
-Fort Lewis is 16-2 on the road dating back through last season.

Next Up
The Skyhawks have a quick turnaround in one of the league's longest road trips as they head to Salt Lake City, Utah, for a 7:00 p.m. matchup tomorrow, Jan. 27, at Westminster (5-13, 1-11 RMAC) in Behnken Field House.

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