N.M. Highlands NMH 6-4,0-3 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC 6-5,1-2 RMAC

N.M. Highlands NMH

6-4,0-3 RMAC

Final

Dec. 10, 2024

Fort Lewis FLC

6-5,1-2 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
N.M. Highlands NMH	33	44	77
Fort Lewis FLC	37	43	80

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Chuol Deng (11) goes up for an uncontested layup against the Cowboys in Whalen Gymnasium (Dec. 10, 2024)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 12/10/2024 10:56:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

Deng’s career night powers Skyhawks past Cowboys

Fort Lewis earns first RMAC win of Jordan Mast era

DURANGO, Colo. – Chuol Deng went off for a career-high 28 points on 9-of-11 shooting while hauling in a season-high 13 rebounds and making a career-high six blocks to help Fort Lewis (6-5, 1-2 RMAC) hold off New Mexico Highlands (6-4, 0-3 RMAC) 80-77 and earn the Skyhawks first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference win of the season in front 1,176 fans in Whalen Gymnasium.

"Our game plan was to really take care of the ball against [New Mexico Highlands] pressure and rebound on both ends of the floor, and that emphasis is what built us our early lead," head coach Jordan Mast added. "When we come out like that, locked in, ready to go on both ends of the floor, we show that we're a pretty good team. Throughout the game, they made some runs when our focus just seemed to shift slightly. Overall, credit to our guys for responding to adversity as a team and closing it out.

Deng knocked down his first trey of the night for a 15-2 Skyhawks lead with 14 minutes left to play in the first half before finishing a perfect 4-4 from beyond the arc en route to his fourth double-double of the year. Fort Lewis' largest lead of the night, a 17-point gap at 29-9, came with just over nine minutes left to play when Biko Johnson went to the free throw line and knocked down a pair of scores. Johnson later finished the night just shy of his own double-double with 14 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.

New Mexico Highlands took a one-point 33-32 lead late in the opening half thanks to a three-pointer from Daniel Rosenber, who finished with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, but the Skyhawks ultimately went into the locker room up four points as Deng closed out the half with a 2-2 trip to the charity stripe. After overcoming a pair of turnovers and missed shots to open the half, the Cowboys recaptured the lead before running out to a five-point advantage on three occasions. The final lead change of the night, however, occurred at the six-minute mark when Deng pulled up and buried a heat-check trey after blocking a shot on the other end of the floor.

Fort Lewis led by as many as 11 points down the stretch, but then went cold for the last 1:25 seconds of the game, allowing NMHU to climb back into a one-possession game before ultimately air-balling the game-tying three-pointer as time expired.

Tru Allen supplied 14 points and five rebounds while Keither Florence added 10 points, four rebounds, four steals, and an assist of his own to round out the Skyhawks to finish in double figures. Three Cowboys went for double-digits in the contest including Rosenber, Kenard Richardson with a team-high 20 points, and Ja'Kwon Hill with another 13 points.

Fort Lewis edged New Mexico Highlands 42-37 in rebounds but lost the turnover battle 17-15. Florence and Stewart Erhart each posted career-highs with four and five steals, respectively.

Postgame Notes
-Fort Lewis won the 106^th meeting between the two teams to lead the Cowboys 65-42 in the all-time series, 36-14 in Whalen Gymnasium, and pick up the Skyhawks' third-straight win over NMHU.
-Head coach Jordan Mast earned his first win in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
-Chuol Deng set career-highs in points scored (28) and blocks (6), tied his career-highs in field goals made (9) and three-point field goals made (4), and set a season-high with 13 rebounds, all in 29 minutes on the floor. In addition, Deng recorded his fourth double-double of the year and 17^th of his career.
-Four Skyhawks finished in double figures for the fifth time this season.
-The Skyhawks forced 14 or more turnovers and picked up 10 or more steals for the seventh time this season.
-Biko Johnson has scored in double figures for ten consecutive games since scoring eight points against Point Loma (Nov. 2) in the season opener.
-Stewart Erhart and Keither Florence each set career-highs in steals with five and four, respectively. Florence has also scored in double-digits in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
- Tru Allen has scored in double figures in eight of his 11 games played this year.

Up Next
It will be a clash of Route 160 rivals on Thursday night as the Skyhawks head into Plachy Hall in Alamosa, Colo., for the 134^th meeting all-time against Adams State (4-5, 0-2 RMAC), who is still searching for its first conference win of 2024-25. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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