South Dakota Mines SDSMT 11-15,9-11 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC 24-2,19-1 RMAC

South Dakota Mines SDSMT

11-15,9-11 RMAC

Final

Feb. 24, 2024

Fort Lewis FLC

24-2,19-1 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
South Dakota Mines SDSMT	37	46	83
Fort Lewis FLC	38	48	86

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Malik Whitaker (24) matched his career-high of 26 points on a dominant 10-14 shooting from the floor while also grabbing nine boards, two assists, two steals, and a block.

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/24/2024 9:50:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

Whitaker goes for career-high as Skyhawks claim sixth unbeaten regular season record in Whalen Gymnasium

Fort Lewis ties program record with 19 conference wins

DURANGO, Colo. – On a night that saw Malik Whitaker match his career high with 26 points during senior night, the Fort Lewis men's basketball squad showed grit, heart, and determination as the Skyhawks claimed the sixth unbeaten regular season record and matched a program record 19 conference wins after outlasting South Dakota Mines, 86-83 in front of a crowd of 2,601.

Fort Lewis, now 24-2 overall and 19-1 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play, completed its perfect 15-0 record at home through the regular season. South Dakota Mines, still in the hunt for a spot in the RMAC Tournament, falls to 11-15 and 9-11 in conference play.

Whitaker willed his squad to victory tonight as the six-foot-six senior went for the game-high 26 points hitting clips of 10-14 from the floor, 3-5 from beyond the arc, and 3-3 at the charity stripe while also finishing one rebound shy of a double-double with nine while also picking up a pair of assists, steals, and blocking one shot.

South Dakota Mines seemingly answered every defensive challenge the Skyhawks dealt, matching the top-ranked squad with 30 points in the paint and picking up 23 points off of turnovers to Fort Lewis' 19 despite committing 14 turnovers against FLC's 12.

It was a tale of two halves once again after a slow start and 38.2 percent shooting (13-34) in the first half allowed the hungry Hardrockers squad to hang around on 42.8 percent shooting (12-28) and trail by a single point heading into halftime.

In the final twenty minutes, the packed house aided Fort Lewis once again as the Skyhawks improved to 53.5 percent shooting (15-28) in crunch time alongside 53.3 percent (8-15) from beyond the arc to hold back the 'Rockers who surged to 48.5 percent shooting (17-35) late.

South Dakota Mines saw five finish in double-figures scoring headlined by Alejandro Rama and Keagen Smith who went for 23 and 22 points, respectively, whilst being aided by Kolton Frugoli's 13 points, Guillem Garcia's 12-point night, and Abel Hutchinson's 10 additional points.

Jhei-R Jones supplied 15 points on 6-8 shooting including a 3-5 trip from downtown and even added a new career-high five steals. Samier Kinsler provided 12 points, including two clutch free throws down the stretch to hold back SDM, and Junior Garbrah the final 10 points to round out the Skyhawks in double-figures scoring.

Quotables
On tonight's win over South Dakota Mines:
"Hard fought game, I really credit South Dakota Mines, they played really well. Obviously, it wasn't our best performance, but I'm proud of our seniors tonight. I'm really happy we got a win for them tonight and thought we made big plays down the stretch, made free throws, and that was the difference in the game tonight." – Head Coach Bob Pietrack

On his career at Fort Lewis College:
"I'm just thankful, honestly. There's been a lot of ups and downs throughout my entire career and I'm blessed to be a part of a team like this, blessed to have coaches who support us and push us to be great each and every day. Like Coach P said, it wasn't our best performance tonight but that's the beauty of this team. Even on an off night, we can knuckle down, trust each other, and find a way to win. My teammates picked me up tonight, and I'm just really thankful for my career as a whole here at Fort Lewis." – Senior guard Junior Garbrah

On his career performance tonight:
"The coaches trusted me with the playing time to go out and there and be effective whether it was scoring, making the right rotations, making the right read, making the unselfish cut, and just going out there and playing." – Senior guard Malik Whitaker

Notables
-Fort Lewis picks up its fourth straight over the Hardrockers and moves to 8-3 all-time against South Dakota Mines and 3-2 at home in Whalen Gymnasium.
-For just the sixth time in program history and first since 2017-18, the Skyhawks have gone unbeaten at home through the regular season while also recording the second-most home wins of any said year at 15-0. (16-0, 1977-78; 9-0, 1986-87; 11-0, 2004-05; 14-0, 2015-16; 14-0, 2017-18).
-FLC claims its eighth season in program history with 24 or more total wins and becomes just the third team to reach a program record 19 conference wins.
-Whalen Gymnasium featured back-to-back 2,600+ crowds for the first time since at least 2014-15 and now brings this season's total to seven crowds for 2,000+.
-Fort Lewis has tied its season-high of 12 consecutive wins.
-Malik Whitaker matched his career high of 26 points scored while also setting a season-high with 10 made field goals.
-At least four Skyhawks registered double-digit scoring tonight for the 16^th time this season which moves FLC to 23-0 when at least three individuals finish in double figures.
-The Skyhawks' 12 turnovers tonight is the most over FLC's last four games.

Final Road Trip on Deck
Fort Lewis has completed its regular season home schedule and will close out the 2023-24 regular season on the road in Denver and Golden, Colo., next weekend. The Skyhawks will open the final series with a rematch at MSU Denver (18-8, 12-8 RMAC) on Friday, Mar. 1, at 7:00 p.m. The Skyhawks will then close out the regular season at No. 21-ranked Colorado School of Mines (20-6, 14-4 RMAC) on Saturday, Mar. 2, at 7:00 p.m.

FLC Skyhawks Basketball Get Together
In addition, on Saturday, Mar. 2, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., Fort Lewis College Athletics and the Fort Lewis College Alumni Association are hosting a pre-game basketball get-together at The Golden Mill. Mingle with fellow alumni, friends, donors, and fans, and enjoy food and drinks in beautiful Golden, Colo., before heading over to Lockridge Arena to catch the final men's and women's basketball games of the season. Fans can purchase their tickets HERE.

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