Western Colo. WC 9-15,6-12 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC 22-2,17-1 RMAC

Western Colo. WC

9-15,6-12 RMAC

Final

Feb. 17, 2024

Fort Lewis FLC

22-2,17-1 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Western Colo. WC	37	34	71
Fort Lewis FLC	45	50	95

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Isaiah Thompson (23) finished with a game-high 18 points on a perfect 8-8 shooting from the floor while knocking down 2 of 3 attempts at the free-throw line.

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/17/2024 10:11:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

No. 3 Skyhawks ride second-half surge to victory in physical clash with Mountaineers

Fort Lewis earns 10th consecutive win; remain unbeaten at home 13-0

DURANGO, Colo. – Despite only leading in rebounds 31-30, it was a battle of the big men tonight as Isaiah Thompson torched the post for 18 points on 8-of-8 shooting all while Brayden Carter added another 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting as the No. 3-ranked Skyhawks men's basketball squad opened it up in the second half and rode to a commanding 95-71 victory over Western Colorado Saturday night up on the rim.

Fort Lewis climbs to 22-2 overall with a 17-1 mark in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action after winning its tenth consecutive game and 14^th straight at home in Whalen Gymnasium dating back to last season. Western Colorado's three-game win streak ends as the Mountaineers fall to 9-15 overall and 6-12 in conference play.

In a contest that saw 49 total fouls between both squads, it was the home Skyhawks who benefited the most converting 29 times on 36 attempts against the Mountaineers' 15 made free throws in 18 attempts.

Although FLC went on to out-shoot WCU 52.5 percent (31-59) to 43.4 percent (23-53) in the contest, the Mountaineers hung tough with a 48.2 percent (13-27) performance from the floor in the first half to trail just 45-37 at the half: the second-most points scored by an opponent in Whalen Gymnasium this season.

Both sides hauled in an even 10 offensive rebounds, but it was points in the paint where the Skyhawks shined the brightest outscoring the opposition 48-20 while also finding the edge in second-chance points, 12-11.

Obi Agbim trailed Thompson with 17 points and a pair of steals while Malik Whitaker added another 11 points, five rebounds, two assists, and a monster block to round out the Skyhawks in double figures. The FLC bench continued its reign with all 10 of the Skyhawks role players producing at least five points to out-score the WCU bench 49-25.

Amar Rivers led Western Colorado with 11 points, four assists, two rebounds, a block, and a steal while Kade Juelfs and Spencer Wright produced just 10 points each to round out the Mountaineers in double figures. Andrew Reichart and Trevin Leick each supplied nine and four points, respectively, before fouling out.

Quotable
"I have to credit Western a lot, they played on back-to-back nights against a fresh Fort Lewis team. Their kids and coaching staff fought hard all night, their program is headed in the right direction. For us, it was a really good team effort. It's hard to score 95 points against anybody, but I thought our defense in the second half; keeping them at 38 percent shooting (10-26) and forcing 17 turnovers overall was the difference in us keeping our gap and extending it in the end." – Fort Lewis College Head Coach Bob Pietrack

Notables
-Fort Lewis moves to 87-40 all-time against Western Colorado and 44-9 against the Mountaineers in the comforts of Whalen Gymnasium.
-With the win, the Skyhawks notch the program's 12^th season with 22 or more victories.
-Four or more players for Fort Lewis finished in double figures for the 14^th time this season. The Skyhawks are 21-0 when at least three players finish in double-figures scoring.
-The Fort Lewis bench remains unmatched, outscoring opponents in all but one contest this season (trailed the Cowboys 49-26 in a 91-77 win over New Mexico Highlands on Dec. 8, 2023).
-Isaiah Thompson's 18 points were one point shy of his season-high (19) with the Skyhawks.
-Obi Agbim's seven made free throws were his second-most in a game this season.
-Sekou Dembele set a new single-game career-high with two blocks in the contest while also matching his season-high of two steals.
-Amondo Miller Jr. set a new career-high with seven rebounds.
-Fort Lewis' five turnovers tonight are tied for the fifth-fewest in a single game in program history.
-The Skyhawks' 29 made free throws is the second most this season (30 against Navajo Tech on Jan. 2, 2024).

Final Home Stand
Next week Fort Lewis has its final regular season home games on deck against Black Hills State (13-11, 11-7 RMAC) on Friday, Feb. 23, for Academic Recognition night followed by South Dakota Mines (10-14, 8-10 RMAC) on Saturday, Feb. 24, for Senior Night. Game times are slated for 7:00 p.m. against the Yellow Jackets on Friday and 6:00 p.m. against the Hardrockers on Saturday.

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