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Amondo Miller Jr. against No. 21 Colorado School of Mines, RMAC Tourney Semifinals - Mar. 8, 2024
Hayden Mangan, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications
Amondo Miller Jr. (13) goes up and under to the bucket against No. 21 Colorado School of Mines in the RMAC Tournament Semifinals in Brownson Arena and Grand Junction, Colo., on Mar. 8, 2024.

No. 5 Skyhawks open NCAA Tournament against Chaparrals

3/14/2024 11:00:00 AM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – It will be déjà vu in Canyon, Texas, on Saturday as the No. 5-ranked Fort Lewis men's basketball team (28-3), for the second consecutive year, will hit the hardwood against Lubbock Christian (23-10) for the opening round of the South-Central Regional and the round of 64 in the NCAA DII Men's Basketball Tournament.
 
Game Information
Saturday, Mar. 16 | 1:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time
vs. (RV) Lubbock Christian
Canyon, Texas | First United Bank Center
Watch ($) | Live Stats | Tickets
FLC Game Notes | NCAA Tournament Bracket
South-Central Regional Information
 
NCAA Championships Pass
New this season, the NCAA will charge a nominal fee for its men's and women's basketball championships. The NCAA Championships Pass will feature live streams and live statistics from all 120 NCAA Division II Basketball Tournament games, men's, and women's, through the national quarterfinals on one accessible site HERE. Pricing will include $9.95 per game, $29.95 per championship, and $49.95 for all games.
 
Dauntless in Hostile Environments
The journey to Evansville goes through First United Bank Center and Canyon, Texas, once again. Fort Lewis, however, has one advantage up its sleeve: fearlessness. Not only did the Skyhawks go 16-0 at home, the only team in the South-Central region to do so, but they're also coming off its first-ever back-to-back RMAC Tournament Championship; both of which were captured on the road in Grand Junction, Colo. Fort Lewis and Colorado Mesa have met twice thus far, both in Grand Junction, and both in front of crowds of 2,074 or more. The Skyhawks have prevailed in both instances, most recently in the RMAC Tournament Championship by an 11-point margin after trailing the Mavericks by as much as 15 points in the opening half.
 
Scouting the LSC Tournament Runners-Up Chaparrals
Lubbock Christian has had a strong season thus far, taking only six losses through its conference schedule – four of which were to teams that will be competing in this year's NCAA Tournament – and another pair against Top 25 opponents earlier this season. Winners of three of its last four, the Chaps entered the postseason hot after knocking off No. 4-ranked West Texas A&M (26-4) 72-67 in the season finale before advancing to the LSC Tournament Championship where LCU fell at the buzzer to Eastern New Mexico (22-9) on a last-chance three-pointer.
 
After graduating its two leading scorers last season, Lubbock Christian has since cranked up the dial on offense and boasts four individuals who average double-digit scoring. Texas A&M International transfer Tiras Morton leads the charge for the Chaps averaging 16.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. In addition, Ethan Duncan provides 14.7 points per game, Najeeb Muhammad another 13.7, and Aaron Gonzales an additional 10.5 to round out the Chaps to average double-digit scoring.
 
Saturday will mark the 10th all-time meeting between the Chaparrals and Skyhawks in addition to the second straight meeting in the round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament. While Fort Lewis trails Lubbock Christian 5-4 in the series, last season the Skyhawks routed the Chaps 97-65. Additionally, the series is tied 1-1 on neutral floors.
 
Win or Go Home
It's do-or-die now for the remainder of the postseason and Fort Lewis is looking to fight its way back to the Sweet Sixteen after making the program's first and only appearance in the regional finale 13 seasons ago in 2010-11. After the Chaparrals, the Skyhawks would face the winner of third-seeded and No. 6-ranked Colorado Mesa (27-4) and sixth-seeded and 2023 Lone Star Conference Tournament Champions Eastern New Mexico on Sunday, Mar. 17, at 4:00 p.m. MST.
 
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