Fort Lewis FLC 7-5,2-2 RMAC

Adams St. ASC 4-6,0-3 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC

7-5,2-2 RMAC

Final

Dec. 12, 2024

Adams St. ASC

4-6,0-3 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Fort Lewis FLC	44	44	88
Adams St. ASC	40	31	71

Summary
Box Score

Chris Neal, Shooter Imaging

AIden Gibson (14) fires up Tru Allen (1) after a score against the Rangers in Whalen Gymnasium (Dec. 7, 2024)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 12/12/2024 10:18:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

Skyhawks soar past Grizzlies in first true road test

Five finish in double figures behind career night from Riggs

ALAMOSA, Colo. – Chuol Deng and Biko Johnson scored 15 points each, Tru Allen added 14 points, AJ Riggs another 13 points, and Stewart Erhart a final 11 points as Fort Lewis (7-5, 2-2 RMAC) earned its sixth-straight win over rival Adams State (4-6, 0-3 RMAC) in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action on Thursday night in the Skyhawks first true road game of the 2024-25 campaign.

"I'm really happy with our guys tonight, that was a tough team effort," Jordan Mast shared. "Four games in eight days are a challenging stretch, and with some of our guys out tonight, I was proud and excited to see our role-playing guys come off the bench and seize their opportunities. That was a great team win."

Despite a slow start and an early 5-0 Adams State lead, Fort Lewis quickly found its footing as Deng stepped into a 25-foot three-pointer for a 15-14 lead and never looked back. Deng led the opening charge, scoring 11 of his 15 points in the first half while finishing with eight rebounds, two steals, two assists, and a block before fouling out. Cassius Carmichael also put up eight points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals before fouling out.

Fort Lewis saw five Skyhawks finish in double-figures for the first time in the Mast era thanks to a career-high 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting from Riggs, who had just eight points scored in 22 minutes heading into the game. Erhart also finished one point shy of his career-high while hauling in the second-most rebounds by a Skyhawk with six. Johnson, who matched Deng with a team-high 15 points, dished out a game-high six assists and led all players with three steals.

The Skyhawks outshot the Grizzlies by a narrow 49.2 percent (32-65) to 44.4 percent (20-45) margin and hit at a 40.0 percent (12-30) clip from beyond the arc, dropping in the most treys in a game this season. Fort Lewis' defense stepped up once again and forced 20 turnovers out of Adams State to break the 20-turnover mark for the fifth game this season and score 30 points off said turnovers. FLC also dominated off the glass 34 rebounds to 25, resulting in 20 second-chance points.

Adams State's Jaylen Alexander scored a game-high 22 points on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 from downtown. Also bringing down five rebounds and making two assists, Alexander's lone blemish on the night was a 6-of-7 mark at the free-throw line. Ta'Veus Randle and Wyatt Helming scored 14 and 12 points each to round out the Grizzlies to finish in double figures.

Postgame Notes
-Fort Lewis won its sixth consecutive game over Adams State in the two squads' 134^th meeting to lead the series 77-57 all-time and tie the series 28-28 in Alamosa, Colo.
-The Skyhawks have won back-to-back conference games to climb back to 2-2 in RMAC play.
-Five Skyhawks finished in double figures for the first time this year including Chuol Deng (15 pts), Biko Johnson (15 pts), Tru Allen (14 pts), AJ Riggs (13 pts), and Stewart Erhart (11 pts).
-Fort Lewis forced 20+ turnovers out of its opponent for the fifth time this season. Heading into tonight, the Skyhawks are 14^th in NCAA Division II in turnovers forced per game with 19.6.
-AJ Riggs set career highs in points scored (13), field goals made (5), three-point field goals made (3), rebounds (2), and minutes (20).
-Biko Johnson has now scored in double figures in ten straight games and tied his season-high with six assists.
-Tru Allen has scored in double figures in three consecutive games and nine times total this year.

Up Next
Fort Lewis has its toughest test of the season on deck next Friday, Dec. 20, as the Skyhawks host No. 2/2 West Texas A&M (8-0, 3-0 Lone Star Conference) for a non-conference matchup inside Whalen Gymnasium at noon.

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