MSU Denver MSUD 13-7,7-7 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC 19-2,14-1 RMAC

MSU Denver MSUD

13-7,7-7 RMAC

Final

Feb. 03, 2024

Fort Lewis FLC

19-2,14-1 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
MSU Denver MSUD	29	38	67
Fort Lewis FLC	41	42	83

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Isaiah Thompson (23) did it all tonight with 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, and 1 block.

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/3/2024 9:55:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

No. 4 Skyhawks roll past Roadrunners on Saturday night

Fort lewis remains at unbeaten at home at 12-0

DURANGO, Colo. – Five Skyhawks registered double-figure scoring Saturday night in Whalen Gymnasium as the Fort Lewis men's basketball team handled MSU Denver on both ends of the court to capture an 83-67 victory over the Roadrunners, winning its seventh straight game, and moving to 19-2 overall and 14-1 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.

MSU Denver saw its two-game win streak come to an end as the Roadrunners fell to 13-7 overall and 7-7 in league play.

Although known for its high-octane offense in recent years, one thing is for certain; the Skyhawks' defense is going to attack all 40 minutes, and tonight was no different as the home squad allowed only one lead change in the first two minutes before stymieing MSUD to only 29 first-half points: nine of which came at the charity stripe.

Trailing by 12 points out of the half, MSU Denver managed to improve its shooting to 48.15 percent (13-27) after firing off at only 33.33 percent (9-27) through the first half. Despite gaining ground offensively, Fort Lewis would not concede an inch, never trailing by any fewer than 10 points while simultaneously running its lead out to as many as 20 points on a jumper from Brayden Carter in the post.

Fort Lewis forced 15 turnovers that resulted in 22 points while the Roadrunners forced just eight turnovers for a marginal eight points. The Skyhawks had complete control of the post outrebounding the visitors 38-30 and scoring 34 points in the paint against MSUD's 24. In addition, Fort Lewis' bench continued its dominance outscoring the Roadrunners 48-21.

Obi Agbim scored 15 points, Isaiah Thompson trailed close behind with 14, and Jhei-R Jones, Amondo Miller Jr., and Tristan Hurdle all supplied 11 points to round out the Skyhawks in double figures. Jones also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds to finish one short of a double-double.

MSU Denver's Brayden Maldonado went for a game-high 23 points on 9-of-20 shooting while committing five of MSUD's 15 turnovers. Quave Propst-Allison added 11 more points and Caleb McGill another 10.

Quotables
On tonight's performance against MSU Denver:
"Good win for our program, MSU Denver is a very good team. I thought we controlled the game and had it the whole way. Again, we forced 15 turnovers, kept them at 40 percent shooting, and outrebounded one of the better rebounding teams in our league. When you do that on your home floor on the back end, you've got a great chance to win. This is a very together group. We know what we're playing for and there's no margin for error." – Head coach Bob Pietrack

On his overall performance tonight:
"Today coming into the game, I just felt like I had really good energy. Had a good warm-up, so I was feeling good coming into the game. Felt like I could be everywhere on the court tonight, and I need to continue to do that, show up every night just like tonight." – Junior forward Isaiah Thompson

On how he felt in Whalen Gymnasium tonight:
"The environment is great, we've got a ton of fans here, it's definitely been different for me and [Isaiah Thompson]. They're so supportive of us and it's fun to play at home." – Sophomore guard Tristan Hurdle

Notables
-Fort Lewis captured its seventh straight win and moves to 12-0 at home in Whalen Gymnasium.
-Whalen Gymnasium was packed with its fourth consecutive crowd of 2,200 or more.
-MSU Denver still leads the all-time series 36-23 and holds a 12-11 edge in Whalen Gymnasium, but tonight's win marks the fifth straight victory over MSUD.
-For the fourth time this season, five or more Skyhawks finished the night in double-figure scoring. FLC remains 18-0 when at least three Skyhawks score in double figures.
-Fort Lewis continues to dominate opponents off the bench having been out-scored by the reserves just once this season.
-Jhei-R Jones brought down a game-high and season-high nine rebounds.
-Isaiah Thompson was a season-best 6-for-6 at the free throw line and matched his season-high with three steals.
-Fort Lewis has limited its opponents to under 30 points in the first half in back-to-back games.

Friday/Tuesday Split
Next week Fort Lewis has added rest between its two shortest road trips of the season as the Skyhawks head into Massari Arena on Friday, Feb. 9, for a 7:30 p.m. rematch at CSU Pueblo (9-11, 5-9 RMAC). Following the weekend, FLC will then travel to its Route 160 rival Adams State (6-13, 4-9 RMAC) for a rematch with the Grizzlies on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in Plachy Hall.

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