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Skyhawks sunk by the 3

Mavericks make 12 from distance to beat FLC

It was billed as a battle of big men, but 3-point shooting had more to say about Saturday’s outcome.

While Fort Lewis College star senior center Alex Herrera went toe-to-toe with Colorado Mesa’s Ryan Stephan in the post, outside shooters took advantage of the open looks all the attention in the paint provided to perimeter players.

The Colorado Mesa Mavericks men’s basketball team hit 12-of-23 3-point attempts, and that hot shooting carried them to a 94-88 victory at Whalen Gymnasium, where FLC had not lost in three previous games this season.

“They shot it very well. We have to hand it to them for that,” FLC head coach Bob Hofman said. “They were confident and they played a terrific game. I’m happy with the way we competed.”

It was a fast and physical game, and that caught up to the Skyhawks in the second half. The Mavericks (9-2, 4-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) went on a run to take a 64-53 lead with 9 minutes, 52 seconds to play, when FLC redshirt freshman guard Rasmus Bach was whistled for a flagrant two foul. The referees said he threw an intentional elbow after a whistle, while Bach maintained he simply tried to rip his arm away from a player holding it after the play.

“You don’t like to use any single thing, but I mean Ras Bach getting in foul trouble and getting thrown out of the game ... was a key part of the game,” Hofman said. “Not using it as an excuse, but that changed our whole substitution pattern.”

The turn of events helped the Mavericks build their largest lead of the game at 74-58. It also hurt the already ailing guard position for FLC, as starting point guard Will Morse was battling strep throat. Hofman said Morse “had his throat cut open to bleed the infection.”

But FLC (7-3, 2-2 RMAC) dug deep with a gutty comeback effort to cut the Mavericks’ lead to 87-83 with 1:09 to play thanks to two big 3s from Jalen Terry, who didn’t check into the game until after Bach’s departure. Herrera also converted a breakaway dunk.

“At the end of the game, we came together and knew we had to get stops and bring out intensity up to the cut the deficit,” FLC junior guard Cade Kloster said. “I know one shot can’t make up 14 points; we’re gonna have to do it on the defensive end, and that’s kind of where we started with the press and just getting more uptempo and bringing energy.”

Time ran out on the Skyhawks, however, as late free-throw shooting for the Mavericks helped put the game away after Kloster had cut the Mavericks’ lead to 90-86 with 33 seconds to play on his fifth 3 of the game.

FLC had some success from 3-point range, making 9-of-30 in the game. Herrera led the Skyhawks with 27 points and 15 rebounds, and Kloster added 19 points.

Stephan led the Mavericks with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while four other Mavericks reached double-digit scoring. Jerry Duckworth scored 19 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3, and Landon Vermeer had 12 points.

Herrera, who never takes any satisfaction out of games his team loses, admitted it was fun going toe-to-toe with Stephan.

“Whenever you play against another good big like Ryan, I mean he is first team all-league and everything, it’s always fun,” Herrera said. “Whenever you come in, it is a challenge.

“But we gotta pick things up on the defensive end,” he added.

FLC turned the ball over only two times all game. The Skyhawks shot 43.1 percent from the field, and the Mavericks finished at 58.2 percent.

The Skyhawks will play again at 5 p.m. Sunday against Western State.

jlivingstodurangoherald.com

Dec 20, 2014
Last chance draws front of iron


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