Fort Lewis College Athletics

Samier Kinsler vs. New Mexico Highlands - Dec. 8, 2023

JoJo Lutz, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications

Samier Kinsler (2) is averaging 8.9 points per game off the bench for Fort Lewis.

No. 10/24 Fort Lewis to take on a pair of South Dakota foes

1/4/2024 7:45:00 AM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis men's basketball team (10-1, 5-0 RMAC) makes its return to conference play this Friday and Saturday as they take on South Dakota Mines (5-7, 3-3 RMAC) and Black Hills State (5-6, 3-2 RMAC) in the first back-to-back conference road trip of the season and the new year.

Game Information
Friday, Jan. 5 | 7:30 p.m.
vs. South Dakota Mines
King Center | Rapid City, S.D.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets

Saturday, Jan. 6 | 6:00 p.m.
vs. Black Hills State
Donald E. Young Center | Spearfish, S.D.
Watch | Live Stats | Radio | Tickets

Conference Dominance
Fort Lewis has shown no signs of slowing down in league play as the Skyhawks average a dominating 92.6 points per game in conference play while limiting opponents to just 67.6 points for a 25.0-point margin. In addition, FLC has shot 49.9 percent, led opponents by a 4.8 rebound and 10.4 turnover margin, and forced an average of 20.0 turnovers per game.

Scouting the Hardrockers
South Dakota Mines enters the weekend on a one-game losing streak with plenty of holiday rest after not playing since Dec. 16, 2023. The Hardrockers closed out the previous year with an electric 101-99 overtime over CSU Pueblo (6-5, 2-3 RMAC) followed by a 66-55 loss to New Mexico Highlands (6-5, 3-3 RMAC).

SDM is headlined by Alejandro Rama's 17.9 points per game with Cameron Cohn (17.4), Kolton Fruggoli (12.4), and Keagan Smith (11.0) each finishing in double figures as well. Most notably, the Hardrockers have been out-scored and out-rebounded by opponents by 72.5 to 71.4 points and 36.4 to 30.8 rebounds per game.

Scouting the Yellow Jackets
Black Hills State capped off its 2023 year with a 77-66 win on the road at New Mexico Highlands back on Dec. 15. The Yellow Jackets shot 43.3 percent (26-60) in the contest and held the edge in rebounds while Matthew Ragsdale led the roster with 21 points.

As a unit, BHSU owns the conference's fifth-best shooting percentage at 47.8 percent while leading the league defensively with opponents shooting 40.9 percent from the field. Ragsdale leads both Black Hills State and the RMAC in scoring with 20.6 points per game to complement his 4.2 rebounds per game as well.

Looking Ahead
The Skyhawks continue league play on the road next week with a pair of trips to the University of Colorado Colorado Springs on Friday, Jan. 12, followed by Regis on Saturday, Jan. 13, with tip-off times slated for 7:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., respectively.

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