Eastern N.M. EastNM 0-1,0-0 Lone Star

Fort Lewis FLC 1-2,0-0 RMAC

Eastern N.M. EastNM

0-1,0-0 Lone Star

Final

Nov. 08, 2024

Fort Lewis FLC

1-2,0-0 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Eastern N.M. EastNM	24	31	55
Fort Lewis FLC	33	33	66

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Biko Johnson (5) dribbles out near the right corner against the Greyhounds in Whalen Gymnasium (Nov. 8, 2024)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 11/8/2024 11:51:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

No. 22 Skyhawks outlast Greyhounds in defensive battle, 66-55

Head Coach Jordan Mast earns first win

DURANGO, Colo. – Tristan Moore knocked down three free throws to open the contest and the no. 22-ranked Fort Lewis men's basketball team (1-2) never looked back as the Skyhawks never trailed in the game, defeating Eastern New Mexico (0-1) by a 66-55 margin to earn the program's first win of the 2024-25 campaign in front of a crowd of 1,726 in Whalen Gymnasium.

Head coach Jordan Mast earned his first win at the helm of the Skyhawks while picking up his 100^th career victory as a head coach in the process.

"We came out of last weekend and realized we were a new team, a new staff, and we all sat down and said that we have the right pieces, and we need to fix some things, but sometimes when you don't know, you don't know," Mast shared. "This week, we were really focused on being more disciplined, really solid on the defensive end, and I felt like the guys took a step in the right direction and did all of the little things that lead to winning. And in the second half, made some incredible plays. That's the reward for doing the little things, they get to go be playmakers as well."

Fort Lewis narrowly out-shot Eastern New Mexico 41.0 percent (25-61) to 40.7 percent (22-54), but most notably, knocked down nine threes in 26 attempts (34.6 percent) led by Biko Johnson, who went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc and 7-for-12 from the field to lead all players with 19 points. The Greyhounds shot just 13.3 percent (2-15) from deep. Both squads combined for 39 turnovers, with ENMU edging FLC 19-20.

Chuol Deng supplied 15 points, including a pair of treys, while hauling down a game-high eight rebounds and adding an assist. Tru Allen found his grove as the fifth-year senior added 14 points, a game-high five assists, and matched ENMU's Jackson Cooper with a game-high four steals. Stewart Erhart scored a career-high 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting including a 2-for-3 mark from downtown to round out the Skyhawks to finish in double figures.

Mario Whitley scored a team-high 13 points for the Greyhounds on 4-of-11 shooting while pulling down a team-high six rebounds. Cooper scored 11 points with five rebounds and Jaden Clarke the final 10 points to wrap up the visitor's trio of double-digit scorers.

Eastern New Mexico forced ties at 3-3 and 9-9 but found themselves trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half and 14 points in the second half. The Greyhounds pulled as close as 53-48 down the stretch on a free throw from Treyvon Byrd. Fort Lewis and Eastern New Mexico both struggled at the free throw line shooting 53.8 percent (7-13) and 52.9 percent (9-17), respectively. Despite committing more turnovers, the Skyhawks scored 19 points off turnovers against the Greyhounds 11.

Notables
-Head Coach Jordan Mast earned his first win as a Skyhawk and the 100^th of his career. Mast owns a career head coaching record of 100-28 (.781).
-Fort Lewis picked up its seventh consecutive win over Eastern New Mexico to now lead 12-1 in the all-time series including 6-0 at home in Whalen Gymnasium.
-Four Skyhawks scored in double figures for the first time including Biko Johnson (19), Chuol Deng (15), Tru Allen (14), and Stewart Erhart (12); Erhart's 12 points mark a new career-high.

Battle With The Rams
Fort Lewis' 2024 Conference Crossover continues tomorrow night as the Skyhawks host the Rams from Angelo State (0-1), who fell to New Mexico Highlands (1-0) 84-83 in Whalen Gymnasium earlier today, in the 8 p.m. weekend finale. Fans who purchase a ticket to either football or basketball tomorrow will be granted admission to both events.

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