Fort Lewis FLC 9-5,3-2 RMAC

Western Colo. WC 4-8,2-3 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC

9-5,3-2 RMAC

Final

Jan. 09, 2025

Western Colo. WC

4-8,2-3 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Fort Lewis FLC	29	46	75
Western Colo. WC	38	35	73

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Biko Johnson (5) drives to the elbow against the Roadrunners in Whalen Gymnasium (Dec. 5, 2024).

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/9/2025 10:31:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

Johnson’s game-winner keys in first victory of 2025

GUNNISON, Colo. – Facing a double-digit deficit and trailing for over 25 minutes, it all came down to the final shot, and Biko Johnson delivered.

An untimely three-shot foul allowed Kade Juelfs to tie the game up at 73-73, but the 16 seconds on the clock was just enough for Johnson to collect himself out on the right wing, drive to the cup, and step back to knock down a 12-foot jumper with 0.8 seconds remaining to send the Skyhawks out of Paul Wright Gym with a 75-73 victory over the Mountaineers.

"I'm so proud of our team's toughness and grit tonight," head coach Jordan Mast shared postgame. "We played very flat for most of the night. Our pressure wasn't great, and we weren't rotating back quick enough on defense, which led to some easy shots for [Western Colorado]. But our guys stuck to it and fought tooth and nail to put themselves in a position to make big plays and pull it out at the end."

Fort Lewis captured its fourth consecutive victory, and eighth-straight over the Mountaineers, to rise to 9-5 overall and 3-2 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. Western Colorado suffered its second consecutive loss and fell to 4-8 overall and 2-3 in league play.

Johnson matched Western Colorado's Christian Still, who set a new career-high, with a game-high 25 points keyed in on a 9-of-13 mark at the free throw line while also tallying two three-pointers, three rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Chuol Deng performed in tandem, putting up 11 points and 10 rebounds to earn his fifth double-double of the season.

Western Colorado outshot Fort Lewis 47.3 percent (26-55) to 34.3 percent (23-67) from the field and 42.1 percent (8-19) to 26.9 percent (7-26) from the three-point line and even outrebounded the Skyhawks 47-19. However, FLC found the edge at the free throw line knocking down 22 shots in 30 attempts (73.3 percent), and won the turnover battle 19-to-4. Fort Lewis' four turnovers match the third-fewest in program history. WCU was 13-21 at the charity stripe (61.9 percent) and committed two technical fouls in the final 2:27 seconds of play.

The Mountaineers, who captured a 25-24 lead in the first half with just over five minutes remaining, pulled away by as many as 13 points, but entered halftime with a comfortable nine-point advantage. Out of the locker room, Western Colorado continued to maintain its distance, taking advantage of Fort Lewis errors and weathering the Skyhawks' many short runs. Facing multiple double-digit deficits once more, it wasn't until 3:28 when Deng knocked down a pair of free throws to flip the final lead change of the night in favor of FLC.

Notes
-Fort Lewis earned its fourth-consecutive victory to tie its longest win streak of the 2024-25 season. (Nov. 15-Nov. 23).
-The Skyhawks defeated the Mountaineers for the eighth consecutive time to lead WCU 88-40 in the all-time series including 29-22 up in Gunnison.
-Biko Johnson eclipsed 20 points for the fourth time this season and the second time in as many games. Johnson becomes the first Skyhawk with back-to-back 20-point games since Junior Garbrah in 2023 (Dec. 5, 8).
-With 0.8 seconds remaining on the clock, Johnson knocked down the first go-ahead basket in the final seconds of regulation since Malik Whitaker did so against Regis (Jan. 13, 2024).
-Chuol Deng's 11-point, 10-rebound performance marks his fifth double-double of the season.
-Tru Allen matched his season-high with four steals.

Up Next
The Skyhawks will take a much-needed day of rest tomorrow before returning to the hardwood this Saturday, Jan. 11, for a 3 p.m. contest against Westminster (8-5, 2-3 RMAC), who out-lasted Adams State (6-7, 1-4 RMAC) 107-95 tonight, at the Behnken Field House in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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