Point Loma PL 1-0,0-0 PacWest

Fort Lewis FLC 0-1,0-0 RMAC

Point Loma PL

1-0,0-0 PacWest

Final

Nov. 02, 2024

Fort Lewis FLC

0-1,0-0 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Point Loma PL	44	36	80
Fort Lewis FLC	34	35	69

Summary
Box Score

Hayden Mangan, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications

Chuol Deng (11) drives to the post against the Sea Lions at the George W. Jenkins Field House (Nov. 2, 2024)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 11/2/2024 2:39:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

No. 22 Fort Lewis drops season opener to (RV) Point Loma, 80-69

Deng drops double-double in debut

LAKELAND, Fla. – Chuol Deng posted an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double in his Skyhawks debut, but defensive struggles and miscommunications ultimately sunk no. 22-ranked Fort Lewis in its 2024-25 season opener against Point Loma Nazarene at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in the historic George W. Jenkins Field House.

The Skyhawks never led in the game and trailed by as many as 13 points while simultaneously pulling within one on a Biko Johnson layup at the 15:59 mark in the second half. Fort Lewis was narrowly out-shot from the field 49.1 percent (27-55) to 41.3 percent (26-63), but, struggled from beyond the arc at 34.8 percent (8-23) while the Sea Lions knocked down nine three-points on 9-of-21 shooting (42.9 percent)

Although Fort Lewis won the turnover margin by a narrow 18-17 and picked up 21 points on said turnovers, the Skyhawks committed 21 fouls against the Sea Lions 17, resulting in 17 made free throws in 24 attempts (70.8 percent) for Point Loma. The Skyhawks struggled at the line, converting on nine free throws in 17 attempts (52.9 percent) Most notably, the Sea Lions, who received votes on the National Association of Basketball Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll, found 34 points off the bench over Fort Lewis' 26.

Deng led all players in scoring and rebounding while leading the field with four steals and two blocked shots as well. Malachi Coleman and Keither Florence supplied 11 points each, with Florence also hauling in seven rebounds. Tristan Moore had a strong showing as the senior knocked down two of three treys, went 3-for-3 at the charity stripe, and added a pair of rebounds as well.

Five players for Point Loma finished in double figures, including Zack Paulsen with 13 points, Luke Haupt and Jaden Matingou with 11 points apiece, and Coby Barnes and Pierce Davis with 10 points.

Quotables
On how today's game went…
"We're new. We've got a lot of new faces, and there will be some growing pains. I felt that we did some good things, and we were trying to apply more pressure which we did well at times, but it just wasn't consistent enough. The same thing on the offensive end. I felt that when we were playing unselfish and moving the ball we did some good things as a team. There were times it got away from us, maybe took some quick ones, maybe took some individual ones, and I think that's where they got that little gap, and we never got over the hump." – Head coach Jordan Mast

On how it felt to finally get out on the court…
"It feels great. It's a lot for us to learn, a lot of new faces like we've been saying. Other than that, If we just keep working on what we need to get better at, we'll be a great team, fantastic team, aggressive team, everything. But that takes us two being leaders and being aggressive, and showing what our coach wants to do." – Junior Forward Keither Florence

On how it felt to finally get out on the court…
"It's a blessing to be here today, shoutout to my coaches for believing in me. We just have to be aggressive, trust the plan that [the coaches] have for us, and go out there and execute it. I feel that we really didn't do that tonight starting with me." – Senior forward Chuol Deng

Notables
-Chuol Deng is now 1-for-1 in double-doubles and games played as a Skyhawk, has 14 career double-doubles, and doubled his previous career-high of two steals.
-Fort Lewis is now 0-1 all-time against Point Loma Nazarene and 10-6 against active members of the Pacific West Conference.
-The Skyhawks have now lost two consecutive season-openers, both on neutral floors.
-All 13 Skyhawks touched the floor in the game. Both Chuol Deng and Tru Allen played 31+ minutes.
-Chuol Deng, Malachi Coleman, and Tristan Moore each knocked down two three-pointers.

Bounce Back
There's no rest for the wicked, as the Skyhawks will have a quick turnaround and face Carson-Newman (0-1) tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time in the second and final game of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic down on the campus of Florida Southern College.

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