Fort Lewis FLC 9-5,6-0 RMAC

South Dakota Mines SDSMT 7-8,4-3 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC

9-5,6-0 RMAC

Final

Jan. 15, 2026

South Dakota Mines SDSMT

7-8,4-3 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Fort Lewis FLC	34	52	86
South Dakota Mines SDSMT	38	43	81

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Chuol Deng (11) steps-back for a jump shot over a Griffins defender in Whalen Gymnasium (Jan. 10, 2025)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/15/2026 10:47:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

Skyhawks catch fire late, overcome Hardrockers down the stretch in Rapid City

Erhart hits stride for 24 second-half points

RAPID CITY, S.D. – Fort Lewis men's basketball extended its unbeaten start in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play to seven straight games Thursday night at the King Center, capitalizing on 24 second-half points from Stewart Erhart and a 52.7 percent shooting performance as a unit to overcome South Dakota Mines down the stretch, 86-81.

Fort Lewis (9-5, 7-0 RMAC) shot above 50 percent for the third time this year, shared the ball for 19 assists, its second-most of the season, outrebounded South Dakota Mines (7-8, 4-3 RMAC) 37-27, including a +9 margin in the final 20 minutes and went 7-for-12 (58.3 percent) from beyond the arc in the second-half alone to surmount 20 turnovers, six ties, ten lead changes, and an eight-point deficit, 48-40, with 12:52 left to play en route to the win.

Erhart seemingly came out of nowhere, going for a game-high 24 points on 6-of-10 shooting with perfect 2-for-2 and 10-for-10 marks at the three-point and free throw line, respectively, after not attempting a single shot in the opening half. Playing with four fouls, Erhart still managed six rebounds, a team-high six assists, and a steal.

Chuol Deng scored eight points while bringing down a game-high nine rebounds, blocking one shot, and matching the Hardrockers' Martin Poznanovic with a game-high three steals. Jaxon Smith scored 13 points on a 5-for-12 shooting performance with three treys, Keither Florence added 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and a block, and Cassius Carmichael scored another 10 points alongside six rebounds, an assist, and a steal to cap the Skyhawks in double figures.

South Dakota Mines shot 38.8 percent (26-67) as a team for the night, went 8-for-21 (38.1 percent) from beyond the arc in the opening frame for the early lead, but settled for a quieter 4-of-14 (28.6 percent) performance in the second half. Gavin Soukup led the Hardrockers with 20 points, five rebounds, two assists, and a pair of steals. Soukup went 6-for-17 on the night, but hit a lethal 5-for-10 from downtown. Jason Lee scored 19 points, Ryan Sweeney 14 points, Luke Baltz 13 points, and Gray Thompson the final 11 points to round out the Hardrockers in double figures.

Notes
-Fort Lewis, behind second-year head coach Jordan Mast, extended its undefeated start to RMAC play to seven straight games.
-The Skyhawks shot over 50 percent (52.7%) for just the third time this season.
-FLC's +10 rebounding margin is its second-highest of the year.
-Stewart Erhart, despite not taking a shot attempt in the first 20 minutes of action, scored nearly four points above his season average against conference opponents (20.4 points/game), and was perfect at the three-point (2-for-2) and free throw (10-for-10) lines. The performance marked Erhart's fourth 20-point performance of the season and the fifth of his career.
-Jaxon Smith, Keither Florence, and Cassius Carmichael finished in double figures for their tenth, third, and second times this season, respectively.

Up Next
Fort Lewis has a quick two-day turnaround before the Skyhawks head into the Donald E. Young Center in Spearfish, S.D., to challenge No. 15-ranked Black Hills State University (13-2, 6-1 RMAC) at 3 p.m. Tonight, the Yellow Jackets defeated New Mexico Highlands University (5-13, 3-4 RMAC), 79-74.

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