South Dakota Mines SDSMT 1-14,1-6 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC 10-6,4-3 RMAC

South Dakota Mines SDSMT

1-14,1-6 RMAC

Final

Jan. 16, 2025

Fort Lewis FLC

10-6,4-3 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
South Dakota Mines SDSMT	30	24	54
Fort Lewis FLC	46	42	88

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Jude Brideba (21) goes to work against a Hardrockers defender in the post in Whalen Gymnasium (Jan. 16, 2025)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/16/2025 10:04:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

Skyhawks throttle Hardrockers in 2025 Whalen debut

Fort Lewis holds opposition to fewest points since 2019

DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis men's basketball team (10-6, 4-3 RMAC) rolled to its tenth win of the season on Thursday night, shooting a season-high 54.8 percent (34-62) a team while holding South Dakota Mines (1-14, 1-6 RMAC) to the fewest points scored by an opponent in six years in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game up on the rim.

"I'm proud of these guys, the message we had was, 'The bounce back isn't the next game; it's how we practice.' And I thought we had a great Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday that prepared [Fort Lewis] for this." Head coach Jordan Mast shared. "And then the attention to detail. We thought we were very loose with the ball last weekend, and today, with five turnovers, we've proven that we will turn over teams at a high rate. We don't want to make it for nothing. Tonight, we capitalized on those turnovers, and when we do, we look like a pretty good team."

The Skyhawks hit from everywhere on the court, eclipsing 50 percent from the field as a squad for the first time this season while also knocking down a season-high 14 three-pointers in 29 attempts (48.3 percent). Fort Lewis' pressure forced 20 turnovers and held South Dakota Mines to 38.3 percent (18-47) shooting from the floor, forcing the Hardrockers to hang on, shooting 57.9 percent (11-19) from deep and most notably off the hot hand of Keagen Smith who went for 20 points on a 5-7 clip from beyond the arc alongside five rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

Biko Johnson stayed hot, scoring a game-high 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, while also grabbing five rebounds and an assist. Chuol Deng added another 15 points, eight rebounds, a steal, and an assist with Nathan Penney rounding out the Skyhawks to finish in double figures with a career-high 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting with a pair of three-pointers, steals, and an assist.

South Dakota Mines hung tough in the first half, limiting the Skyhawks to a mostly three-possession lead until back-to-back treys from Malachi Coleman and Penney with three minutes left signaled the opening of the floodgates. Fort Lewis continued to slowly pull away in the second half before an up-an-under layup from Jude Brideba gave FLC its largest lead of the season at 39 points with 2:23 seconds left to play. Brideba finished with a career-high four points.

Stewart Erhart supplied a loud nine points while grabbing three rebounds, handing out three assists, blocking a shot, and finishing one-shy of a career-high with four steals. Erhart now ties Johnson for the league lead in steals with both players totaling 31 on the year and 1.9 per game. Aiden Gibson set a quartet of career-highs with six points, four assists, a steal, and a block.

Notes
-Fort Lewis continues to lead South Dakota Mines 9-3 all-time, 4-2 in Whalen Gymnasium and has won five straight over SDM.
-The Hardrockers' 54 points are the fewest scored by an opponent since the Skyhawks held Utah Tech to 53 back on Feb. 1, 2019.
-Biko Johnson notched his third 20-point performance over the past four games, his fifth of the season, and has not finished below double figures since scoring eight points in the season opener.
-Nathan Penney, Aiden Gibson, and Jude Brideba each set career-highs in points scored with 10, 6, and 4, respectively.
-The Skyhawks' five turnovers are the second-fewest this season and match the sixth-fewest in program history.
-Fort Lewis' 54.8 percent shooting from the floor and 48.3 percent shooting from the three-point line are both season-highs. Its 14-made treys are also the most this season.
-FLC forced 20+ turnovers out of its opponent for the seventh time this season.

Up Next
A challenging foe lies ahead as Fort Lewis will host Black Hills State (9-5, 5-2 RMAC) this Saturday, Jan. 18, at 3 p.m. inside Whalen Gymnasium for its annual White Out game, presented by Durango Motor Company and Agave Durango, with free t-shirts available for a select number of the first fans to arrive. The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 71-56 bounce-back win of their own over New Mexico Highlands (7-8, 0-7 RMAC).

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