N.M. Highlands NMH 1-9,1-2 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC 4-4,2-0 RMAC

N.M. Highlands NMH

1-9,1-2 RMAC

Final

Dec. 09, 2025

Fort Lewis FLC

4-4,2-0 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
N.M. Highlands NMH	38	42	80
Fort Lewis FLC	25	63	88

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Yorgio Golesis (5) gets hyped up after drawing the and-one foul in a comeback against the Cowboys in Whalen Gymnasium (Dec. 9, 2025)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 12/9/2025 11:34:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

Skyhawks surge in second half to overcome Cowboys 88-80 at home

Fort Lewis puts up season-high 63 second-half points

DURANGO, Colo. – Facing a 13-point deficit at halftime while never leading in the opening stanza, the Fort Lewis men's basketball team (4-4, 3-0 RMAC) battened down the hatches and caught fire with the help of a rambunctious home crowd for 63 points in the second half to storm back and claim an 88-80 win at home over New Mexico Highlands University (1-9, 1-2 RMAC) and remain unbeaten in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.

The Skyhawks, who managed just 25 points in the first half while committing 11 of their 16 turnovers for the night and knocking down just 10 field goals, were lights-out from the intermission, first making six-straight field goals to open the second half, including back-to-back three-pointers from Jaxon Smith, to knot the game up at 43 apiece.

From then on, it was all Fort Lewis as the blue and gold shot 51.4 percent (18-35) from the floor, went 6-for-14 from the three-point line, and knocked down 21 free throws in 23 attempts (91.3 percent) down the stretch to seal the Skyhawks' fourth come-from-behind win of the season.

Smith finished in double figures for the fourth consecutive game, and fifth time overall this year, with a team-high 22 points on four treys and a perfect 8-for-8 performance at the charity stripe. Smith has made 26 consecutive free throws dating back to Nov. 21, has converted on every attempt in all but one game, and is 34-for-37 (91.9 percent) for the season.

Fort Lewis' defense remained true since the start of league play, forcing 22 turnovers out of the Cowboys, including three or more by five different players, for a season-high 28 points off turnovers. Stewart Erhart matched his career-high and Chuol Deng's performance last time out, with seven steals to match the program record for the fifth-most in a game for the second time in his career. Erhart also scored 19 points, grabbed four rebounds, made two assists, and blocked two shots. Deng extended his streak of double-digit scoring to nine games, scoring 10 points with a team-high eight rebounds.

Despite a size disadvantage, the Skyhawks also out-rebounded New Mexico Highlands 37-to-35 and nearly matched the Las Vegas, N.M. natives with 40 points in the paint to NMHU's 42. Three Cowboys finished in double figures, led by Dontae Walker's game-high 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Walker was also 7-for-11 at the charity stripe, grabbed seven rebounds, and made one assist. Marcus Pierce supplied 15 points, and BJ Comer another 14 points, and Nikk Williams led the squad with eight rebounds.

Notes
-Fort Lewis earned its fourth win over New Mexico Highlands across the last five games to lead the Cowboys 66-43 all-time.
-The Skyhawks have set season-high marks in the points off turnovers in each of their last two games (24 pts at Metropolitan State University Denver, 28 pts vs. New Mexico Highlands).
-FLC scored 60+ points in a half for just the second time under head coach Jordan Mast (64 pts vs. Colorado State University Pueblo, Feb. 20, 2025).
-Chuol Deng has scored in double figures in every game this season and nine-straight games dating back to Mar. 7, 2024.
-Jaxon Smith has made 26 consecutive free throws dating back to Nov. 21, and is 34-for-37 (91.9 percent) on the season. Barring other results from around the country, Smith would rank ninth in NCAA Division II among players with 30+ attempts.
-Stewart Erhart tied his career-high with seven steals, matching Chuol Deng's performance against MSU Denver (Dec. 4), as well as his own performance last season at No. 12/13-ranked Colorado School of Mines (Jan. 30, 2024) for the fifth-most single-game steals in program history.
-Tate Ziemkiewicz had a career-high six rebounds and blocked his first shot.

Up Next
Fort Lewis will close out the 2025 calendar year at home on Saturday afternoon with a rivalry matchup against Route 160 rival Adams State University (6-3, 1-1 RMAC). The Skyhawks and Grizzlies will tip off at 3 p.m. on Dec. 13 in Whalen Gymnasium. ASU will travel to face New Mexico Highlands on Thursday at 7 p.m.

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