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Fort Lewis College Athletics

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Jaxon Smith vs. Colorado Christian
Kaitlyn Silva
Jaxon Smith (0) hands the ball off in the front court against the Cougars in Whalen Gymnasium (Jan. 22, 2026)

Men’s basketball to host Chadron State for pink night, South Dakota Mines for senior day

2/18/2026 12:30:00 PM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement
DURANGO, Colo. – Fort Lewis men's basketball (14-9, 12-4 RMAC) looks to capitalize on the comforts of its home floor to get back to its winning ways with its final pair of regular season home games against Chadron State College (6-18, 4-12 RMAC) on Thursday and South Dakota Mines (9-15, 6-10 RMAC) on Saturday.
 
Pink Game, Senior Day
The Skyhawks will host their annual pink night, presented by CommonSpirit and Alpine Bank, on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against the Eagles. One dollar from every ticket sold will be donated to the Mercy Breast Care Center. At halftime, fans will be invited onto the floor to participate in a free-throw contest, helping to raise additional funds for cancer research. On Saturday, Fort Lewis will celebrate senior day presented by Bank of Colorado, honoring its four graduating seniors: Keither Florence, Chuol Deng, Cassius Carmichael, and Massal Diouf.
 
Playoff Picture
Fort Lewis, having already clinched a berth in the 2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament, currently resides in third place in the league's standings. A top-four seed would guarantee a home game in Whalen Gymnasium on Tuesday, Mar. 3. The Skyhawks could still capture the top overall seed in the regular season, but would need help from around the league. FLC is tied with Colorado Mesa University (17-8, 13-4 RMAC), but the Mavericks own the head-to-head win. While one game back from No. 17 Black Hills State University (20-4, 13-3 RMAC), the Skyhawks own the head-to-head in that series. Fort Lewis would need to win out, with both of the aforementioned teams needing at least one loss each, for the Skyhawks to claim the top seed.
 
Bouncing Back
The Skyhawks are searching for their first win since January after kicking off the latest month with a four-game road skid. FLC is 8-2 at home this year compared to 3-5 on the road. While Fort Lewis ranks fourth in the league offensively, averaging 82.8 points a game, the Skyhawks rank just 12th in team field goal percentage (44 percent). Despite its offensive success, its defense has allowed a ninth-best 81.5 points per game for a narrow +1.3 scoring margin. Fort Lewis will need to return to its strengths at home, first by controlling the glass with its league-leading 38.9 rebounds and 14.1 offensive boards per game, and second by forcing turnovers, where FLC ranks fifth across Division II with 18.65 forced turnovers per game and 12.1 steals per game.
 
Skyhawks Leaders
  • Stewart Erhart (R-So., G) (16.9 points/game, 4.4 rebounds/game, 3.4 assists/game, 3.4 steals/game, 4 blocks, 41.5% FG percentage, 36.1% 3-FG percentage, 85% FT percentage)
  • Jaxon Smith (R-So., G) (15.3 points/game, 2.0 rebounds/game, 23 assists, 20 steals, 37.5% FG percentage, 38.5% 3-FG percentage, 93.8% FT percentage)
  • Chuol Deng (Sr., F) (13.6 points/game, 7.9 rebounds/game, 1.5 assists/game, 1.3 steals per game, 14 blocks, 40% FG percentage, 29.7% 3-FG percentage, 70.5% FT percentage)
  • Donald Bangham, Jr. (Jr., G) (7.8 points/game, 3.1 rebounds/game, 1.4 steals per game, 14 assists, 1 block, 45% FG percentage, 26.8% 3-FG percentage, 58.5% FT percentage)
  • Keither Florence (Sr., F) (7.6 points/game, 4.3 rebounds/game, 22 assists, 14 steals, 12 blocks, 52.2% FG percentage, 0-2 3-FG, 56.7% FT percentage)
 
Battle of the Birds
Chadron State soars into the week fresh off a tight 1-1 split at home against Metropolitan State University of Denver (8-16, 6-10 RMAC) and Colorado School of Mines (14-13, 10-6 RMAC). The Eagles topped the Roadrunners, 84-77, behind a pair of 26 and 22-point performances from Jackson Schauer and Jadon Cool, respectively. Chadron State couldn't overcome an early deficit the following night, falling to Mines by a narrow 74-72 margin.
 
The Eagles are averaging 72.7 points on shooting marks of 42.2 percent from the floor and 32.7 percent from deep, marks that rank 13th, 14th, and 14th in the RMAC, respectively. Three Eagles are averaging double-digit scoring efforts for second-year head coach Chris Francis, who carries a 21-32 record overall at CSC. Jadon Cool and Isaiah Randolph are averaging an identical 14.2 points per game, the 15th-most among league players, with Mack Keighran rounding out the trio at 11.4 points per game.
 
Eagles Leaders
  • Jadon Cool (Jr., G) (14.2 points/game, 2.6 rebounds/game, 1.7 assists/game, 21 steals, 7 blocks, 40.1% FG percentage, 31.6% 3-FG percentage, 78.1% FT percentage)
  • Isaiah Randolph (Sr., G) (14.2 points/game, 5.2 rebounds/game, 2.1 assists/game, 1.7 steals/game, 7 blocks, 52.9% FG percentage, 31.6% 3-FG percentage, 88.2% FT percentage)
  • Mack Keighran (Jr., G) (11.4 points/game, 2.1 rebounds/game, 2.2 assists/game, 14 steals, 1 block, 42.3% FG percentage, 39.2% 3-FG percentage, 82.2% FT percentage)
  • Blessing Adesipe (Gr., G) (8.0 points/game, 5.5 rebounds/game, 1.5 assists/game, 14 steals, 10 blocks, 42.6% FG percentage, 38.7% 3-FG percentage, 71.2% FT percentage)
  • Zach Smith (Sr., G) (7.4 points/game, 1.8 rebounds/game, 2.2 assists/game, 24 steals, 1 block, 42.6% FG Percentage, 35.1% 3-FG percentage, 62.7% FT percentage)
 
Round Two with South Dakota Mines
The Skyhawks and Hardrockers are no strangers this year, as Fort Lewis marched in hostile territory back on Jan. 15 and handed the Hardrockers an 86-81 loss on their home floor, paced by a 24-point night from Stewart Erhart. SDM led at the half, but FLC bounced back with 52 second-half points to down the home squad. Five Hardrockers scored in double figures in the game, led by Gavin Soukup's 20-point night with a 5-for-10 mark from deep.
 
South Dakota Mines has a 7 p.m. date with New Mexico Highlands University (11-16, 9-7 RMAC) on Thursday night, while FLC hosts CSC. The Hardrockers have lost six straight games since last defeating Westminster University (11-14, 6-11 RMAC) 75-70 in Salt Lake City, Utah, back on Jan. 24. Since then, the Griffins have suffered each loss by a minimum of eight points. Injuries have also plagued SDM, with two of its top-five players, Soukup and Abel Hutchinson, having not seen the floor over the last several weeks.
 
Hardrockers Leaders
  • Jason Lee (Jr., G) (18.4 points/game, 4.4 rebounds/game, 5.3 assists/game, 1.8 steals/game, 4 blocks, 37.9% FG percentage, 36.2% 3-FG percentage, 77.3% FT percentage)
  • Ryan Sweeney (Jr., G) (14.0 points/game, 3.3 rebounds/game, 2.3 assists/game, 18 steals, 11 blocks, 48.6% FG percentage, 41.7% 3-FG percentage, 77.9% FT percentage)
  • Gray Thompson (Jr., F) (10.7 points/game, 6.4 rebounds/game, 16 assists, 16 blocks, 10 steals, 42.5% FG percentage, 31.5% 3-FG percentage, 84.9% FT percentage)
  • Darren Wallace (Jr., F) (6.6 points/game, 3.3 rebounds/game, 16 assists, 13 steals, 8 blocks, 39.2% FG percentage, 29.5% 3-FG percentage, 72.2% FT percentage)
  • Fred Libby (Fr., G) (5.2 points/game, 2.6 rebounds/game, 20 assists, 9 steals, 2 blocks, 39.5% FG percentage, 37.7% 3-FG percentage, 72.4% FT percentage)
 
Looking Ahead
Fort Lewis will close out the 2025-26 regular season on the road next week with a pair of trips to Colorado State University Pueblo (17-7, 11-5 RMAC) on Thursday, Feb. 26, for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off, followed by Colorado Christian University (11-13, 6-10 RMAC) on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 3 p.m.
 
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