Fort Lewis FLC 17-11,11-8 RMAC

Chadron St. Chad 14-13,10-9 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC

17-11,11-8 RMAC

Final

Feb. 27, 2025

Chadron St. Chad

14-13,10-9 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Fort Lewis FLC	46	36	82
Chadron St. Chad	41	43	84

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Chuol Deng (11) defends the key against the Cougars in Whalen Gymnasium (Feb. 22, 2025).

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/27/2025 9:47:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

Eagles top Skyhawks at the buzzer

Fort Lewis out-muscled off the glass

CHADRON, Neb. – Fort Lewis (17-11, 11-8 RMAC) knocked down 11 three-pointers, dished out a season-high 20 assists, and eclipsed 80 percent at three throw line for the third time this season, but struggles off the glass and in the post set the stage for a final shot, and Chadron State (14-13, 10-9 RMAC) sank it from mid-range before the buzzer to pull away with an 84-82 win on Thursday night in the Chicoine Center.

The Skyhawks shot 45 percent (9-20) from beyond the arc through the first 20 minutes of action, capped by Tru Allen's – who finished with 13 points, four assists, two rebounds, and two steals – half-court buzzer-beater heading into the locker room that gave FLC a 46-41 edge.

Fort Lewis would be out-shot 45.5 percent (15-33) to 31.4 percent (11-35) down the stretch, however, as Chadron State slowly stormed back before going on a 12-9 run through the final 4:49 seconds of the contest, battling through two ties and two lead changes before Jalen Thomas, who finished the night with 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals, hit a step-back jumper with Allen in his face at the elbow to seal the victory.

Senior guard Zy Wright led all players with a 28-point performance for the Eagles on the back of 8-of-16 shooting with a near-perfect 10-of-11 night at the free throw line. Wright also had eight rebounds and two steals. Julio Phipps supplied a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Darrius Miles poured in another 10 points, six rebounds, and three blocks to round out the Eagles in double figures. John Jenkins finished with 11 rebounds, two blocks, and seven points.

Chuol Deng led Fort Lewis with a double-double of his own, his eighth of the season, with 19 points and 11 rebounds on 5-of-13 shooting and, most notably, a 3-of-6 night from deep. Deng also made a career-high five assists and had one steal.

The Skyhawks Achilles heel of the night was its inability to finish at the rim where Chadron State out-scored Fort Lewis 42 to 30 on points in the paint and dominated the Skyhawks off the glass 48-35. FLC forced 15 turnovers to CSC's 10 but broke even with the Eagles on 11 points off turnovers.

Notes
-Fort Lewis still leads Chadron State 28-11 all-time and 13-6 in Chadron, Neb., but the Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak to the Skyhawks.
-Chuol Deng recorded his eighth double-double of the year, giving Deng the third-most in the RMAC this season. Deng also made a career-high five assists.
-With the loss, the Skyhawks fall to the seventh seed and are guaranteed a first-round road game in the 2025 RMAC Tournament.
-The Skyhawks shot above 80 percent (83.3%) for just the third time in 2024-25.

Up Next
Fort Lewis will close out the regular season this Saturday, Mar. 1, with a 3 p.m. contest in the King Center at South Dakota Mines (4-23, 4-15 RMAC) in Rapid City, S.D.

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