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Trey Curry vs. Westminster
Kaitlyn Silva
Trey Curry (4) driving into the lane against the Griffins in Whalen Gymnasium (Jan. 10, 2025)

Skyhawks continue RMAC play with trips to South Dakota Mines, No. 15 Black Hills State

1/14/2026 10:00:00 AM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement
Fort Lewis College at South Dakota Mines
Thursday, Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m. | King Center | Rapid City, S.D.
Watch (RMAC Network) | Live Stats | Tickets | FLC Notes
Fort Lewis College at No. 15 Black Hills State University
Saturday, Jan. 17, 3 p.m. | Donald E. Young Center | Spearfish, S.D.
Watch (RMAC Network) | Live Stats | Tickets | FLC Notes
DURANGO, Colo. – A pivotal road trip and a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contests await the Skyhawks in The Mount Rushmore State as Fort Lewis men's basketball (8-5, 6-0 RMAC) gears up to challenge South Dakota Mines (7-7, 4-2 RMAC) on Thursday night in the King Center and No. 15 nationally ranked Black Hills State University (12-2, 5-1 RMAC) Saturday afternoon at the Donald E. Young Center.
 
Key Figures in Conference Play
Fort Lewis heads into the week with the league's third-highest offense (87.8 points/game) and fifth-best defense (76.2 points allowed/game). The Skyhawks are second in the conference in scoring margin at +11.6, primarily thanks to the strength of their full-court defense, with redshirt sophomore guard Stewart Erhart paving the way with 6.0 steals per game against RMAC opponents. As a unit, Fort Lewis is forcing 22.6 turnovers per game out of RMAC foes with a +7.6 turnover margin while also out-rebounding nearly every team at 41.4 rebounds per game, excluding Colorado Mesa (42.0 rebounds/game). Just as important is the Skyhawks' efforts off the offensive glass, where they lead the league with 17.0 offensive rebounds per game and a +3.3 margin against the next best team (Colorado Mesa, 13.7 offensive rebounds/game).
 
On the Line
With 14 games remaining in the regular season, Thursday and Saturday will have strong implications in Fort Lewis' hunt for the RMAC regular season title. Second-year head coach Jordan Mast has the Skyhawks unbeaten through six conference games, with a one-game cushion ahead of the top-ranked Yellow Jackets. Currently in sole possession of first place with the ability to control its own destiny, a strong week on the road could vault the Skyhawks into a two-game cushion over Black Hills State, and a three-game cushion over the remainder of the field, heading into the back-half of conference play.
 
The top-ranked Yellow Jackets are one game back at 5-1 in conference play, while every other team has two or more losses. Fort Lewis has yet to play six of the current top-eight teams from around the league, with Saturday's game also being its fifth top-25 opponent of the campaign. The Skyhawks are 1-3 against top-25 opponents thus far, most recently defeating No. 13-ranked St. Mary's University (11-4, 4-3 LSC), 81-68, back on Dec. 17.
 
Skyhawks Leaders
  • Stewart Erhart (R-So., G) (16.7 points/game, 4.5 rebounds/game, 3.7 steals/game, 3.0 assists/game, 2 blocks, 45.6% FG percentage, 44.8% 3-FG percentage, 78.3% FT percentage)
  • Jaxon Smith (R-So., G) (15.5 points/game, 1.8 rebounds/game, 13 assists, 8 steals, 40.3% FG percentage, 40.4% 3-FG percentage, 92.9% FT percentage)
  • Chuol Deng (Sr., F) (14.7 points/game, 8.6 rebounds/game, 20 assists, 19 steals, 8 blocks, 43.5% FG percentage, 30.2% 3-FG percentage, 70.7% FT percentage)
  • Donald Bangham, Jr. (Jr., G) (8.5 points/game, 3.2 rebounds/game, 13 steals, 7 assists, 47.6% FG percentage, 31.3% 3-FG percentage, 61.1% FT percentage)
  • Massal Diouf (Sr., F) (7.1 points/game, 3.8 rebounds/game, 13 blocks, 11 assists, 3 steals, 54.3% FG percentage, 0-1 3-FG/attempts, 59.3% FT percentage)
 
Rising Hardrockers
First-year head coach Michael Iseman has South Dakota Mines off to one of its best starts in recent years, standing at 7-7 overall and 4-2 in conference play. The Hardrockers have already earned three more wins than last season and are currently tied for third place in the league standings. At a glance, South Dakota Mines carries the RMAC's eighth-best offense (75.7 points/game) and tenth-best defense (79.2 points allowed/game).
 
All four of the Hardrockers' conference wins have come by slim margins of seven or fewer points, two of which have come at home, where SDM is 4-3 thus far. Most recently, the Hardrockers fell 88-72 on the road at Colorado School of Mines (8-9, 4-2 RMAC) after defeating Metropolitan State University of Denver (5-9, 3-3 RMAC), 68-62.
 
Hardrockers Leaders
  • Jason Lee (Jr., G) (18.9 points/game, 4.0 rebounds/game, 5.6 assists/game, 2.1 steals/game, 3 blocks, 40.7% FG percentage, 36.4% 3-FT percentage, 78.3% FT percentage)
  • Ryan Sweeney (Jr., G) (13.1 points/game, 3.4 rebounds/game, 27 assists, 10 steals, 8 blocks, 52.8% FG percentage, 51.5% 3-FG percentage, 71.4% FT percentage)
  • Gavin Soukup (So., G) (10.6 points/game, 3.1 rebounds/game, 9 assists, 8 steals, 1 block, 46.1% FG percentage, 44.8% 3-FG percentage, 73.1% FT percentage)
  • Gray Thompson (Jr., F) (10.5 points/game, 7.0 rebounds/game, 15 blocks, 9 assists, 5 steals, 40.7% FG percentage, 28.9% 3-FG percentage, 89.2% FT percentage)
  • Abel Hutchinson (R-Jr., G) (7.9 points/game, 4.8 rebounds/game, 25 assists, 10 steals, 1 block, 41.9% FG percentage, 25.7% 3-FG percentage, 65.0% FT percentage)
 
The Yellow Jacket Standard
Black Hills State, picked to win the conference in the RMAC preseason poll under the direction of eighth-year head coach Ryan Thompson, has lived up to its pedigree, boasting a 12-2 overall record and a 5-1 mark in RMAC play as well as a No. 15 ranking in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches Top-25 Poll. MSU Denver snapped the Yellow Jackets' 10-game win streak last Saturday (Jan. 10), topping BHSU 77-73 in Denver, Colo. Minnesota State University Moorhead (9-7, 6-4 NSIC) handed Black Hills State its only other loss of the season, 100-85, up in Moorhead, Minn., back on Nov. 21.
 
The Yellow Jackets lead the conference with 91.2 points per game, surrender the third-fewest points per game at 74.7, and have dominated RMAC opponents with a +16.5-scoring margin on 52.4 percent shooting as a team. In addition, BHSU leads the league with 12.7 made three-pointers per game on a 42.7 percent clip from deep.
 
Yellow Jackets Leaders
  • Cam Lowe (R-So., G) (18.2 points/game, 6.6 rebounds/game, 2.7 assists/game, 17 steals, 6 blocks, 48.9% FG percentage, 40.8% 3-FG percentage, 91.7% FT percentage)
  • Jaeton Hackley (R-Jr., G) (12.6 points/game, 4.3 rebounds/game, 4.3 assists/game, 14 steals, 1 block, 53.5% FG percentage, 36.6% 3-FG percentage, 72.7% FT percentage)
  • Myles Johnson (R-Sr., G) (12.4 points/game, 4.1 rebounds/game, 28 assists, 24 steals, 8 blocks, 59.2% FG percentage, 29.4% 3-FG percentage, 69.0% FT percentage)
  • Tristan Hurdle (R-Sr., G) (9.6 points/game, 1.2 rebounds/game, 12 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 48.3% FG percentage, 47.0% 3-FG percentage, 72.7% FT percentage)
  • Willie Patterson III (R-Jr., F) (9.5 points/game, 6.0 rebounds/game, 11 assists, 1 block, 54.9% FG percentage, 37.5% 3-FG percentage, 73.9% FT percentage)
 
Looking Ahead
Fort Lewis will begin a four-game home stand next week, first welcoming Colorado Christian University (6-8, 1-5 RMAC) on Thursday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m. before the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (8-6, 3-3 RMAC) comes to Durango on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 3 p.m.
 
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