Fort Lewis FLC 13-7,7-4 RMAC

Colo. Sch. of Mines CSM 16-3,10-1 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC

13-7,7-4 RMAC

Final

Jan. 30, 2025

Colo. Sch. of Mines CSM

16-3,10-1 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Fort Lewis FLC	38	41	79
Colo. Sch. of Mines CSM	31	51	82

Summary
Box Score

Nathan Asato, Mines Athletics

Stewart Erhart (11) brings the ball across half-court against the Orediggers in Lockridge Arena (Jan. 30, 2025).

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/30/2025 10:53:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

Skyhawks drop tightly contested battle to No. 12/13 Orediggers, 82-79

Fort Lewis sets program record for steals against an NCAA opponent

GOLDEN, Colo. – Fort Lewis' (13-7, 7-4 RMAC) forced 25 turnovers and picked up 19 steals on the back of one of the most impressive defensive performances in Division II out of Stewart Erhart but could not overcome lethal shooting and a balanced scoring effort, falling 82-79 to No. 12/13 Colorado School of Mines (16-3, 10-1 RMAC) at Lockridge Arena.

The Skyhawks' 19 steals tie the fourth-most in program history, matching this year's mark of 19 against Northern New Mexico (Nov. 16), which is the single-most in a contest since the 1995-96 season, and the most all-time against an NCAA opponent. It's the ninth time this year that Fort Lewis has forced 20 or more turnovers out of its opponent and the fourth time over the last five games. Erhart, on the other hand, tied Devon Manning (2004-08) against Adams State back on Feb. 2, 2008, for the fifth-most steals in a game with seven, a mark that also ties for the seventh-most in DII this season.

"I thought we competed defensively, the pressure got to them, and that was the game plan," head coach Jordan Mast commented. "We didn't want them to be comfortable, and we showed that in the first half. I thought there was a five-minute stretch to start the second half, they were tougher, we settled, and the rest of the way was a dogfight. We got to the rim, they rolled out, and sometimes that's how it goes when you put yourself in that position."

Colorado School of Mines withstood the Skyhawks' pressure on three pillars: out-shooting Fort Lewis 56.3 percent (27-48) to 45.8 percent (27-59) from the field, dominating off the glass 34-25, and knocking down 21 free throws on 25 trips to the line (84.0 percent) to the Skyhawks' 15 made free throws in 21 attempts (71.4 percent). Despite being out-shot and out-rebounded, Fort Lewis still managed to force the most turnovers out of any Mines squad since at least 2015-16. In addition, FLC is the only team to force 20+ turnovers out of CSM in each of the last two seasons.

Four players finished in double figures on both sides, led by graduate student Majok Deng who scored a game-high 19 points on a pinpoint 6-of-9 shooting with a 3-of-5 mark from the three-point line. Deng was a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe and matched Alex Romack, who added 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, with a team-high three steals each. Markus Pastorcic-Straun supplied 14 points and Riley Schroeder, who brought down a game-high nine rebounds, another 11 points.

Keither Florence went 8-for-10 from the field with a trey in his pocket to lead all Skyhawks with 17 points and finish one point shy of season-high. Erhart added 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting while also pulling down three rebounds and dishing out three assists. AJ Riggs and Tru Allen had another 10 points each. Cassius Carmichael led FLC with seven rebounds.

Notes
-Despite the loss, Fort Lewis still leads Colorado School of Mines 60-40 in the all-time series, but the Orediggers tie it up at 21-21 in Golden, Colo.
-The Skyhawks are now 1-1 against National Association of Basketball Coaches and Division II College Sports Communicators Top 25 opponents.
-Fort Lewis matched its previous season-high of 19 steals this season against Northern New Mexico (Nov. 16), which is the fourth-most in program history, and set the record for the most steals against an NCAA opponent in program history.
-Colorado School of Mines' 25 turnovers are the most by any Orediggers team since at least 2015-16, the furthest statistics that are available on the Mines Athletics site. FLC is also the only team to force 20+ turnovers out of the nationally ranked Orediggers in each of the last two seasons.
-Stewart Erhart set a new career-high and tied the program record for the fifth-most steals in a game with seven. Erhart joins a seven-way tie that was last accomplished by Devon Manning (2004-08) at Adams State in an 82-59 back on Feb. 2, 2008. Erhart's performance also ties the seventh-most steals in a game in Division II this season.
-Erhart now has 47 steals on the year, good for the most in the RMAC by +8, and averages 2.4 steals per game.

Up Next
Thankfully, the Skyhawks will get to take Friday off before hitting the hardwood at the Auraria Event Center at 3 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 1, as Fort Lewis faces its second top-25 opponent in as many games in No. 23/25 MSU Denver (15-4, 9-2 RMAC). Fort Lewis College Athletics, in collaboration with the FLC Alumni Association, is hosting a Skyhawks Basketball Get Together at Infinitus Pie in the Tivoli Student Union on the campus of MSU Denver before the game. Doors open at 1 p.m. and fans and Skyhawks Alumni can register HERE.

Print Friendly Version