DURANGO, CO – Completing a four-game road trip in southwest Colorado, one of the Cougars offensive efforts of the season could not nab a victory.
The Fort Lewis shooting effort was solid as they used a strong second period to posted a 95-87 win on Saturday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The opening half was played mostly in the single digits as Fort Lewis held the lead for a majority of the stanza. The Skyhawks held a 10-point lead (29-19) just after the midway point of the period. Colorado Christian finished the frame by outscoring the home team by six as they nailed nine field goals, including four from behind the arc. Fort Lewis took a 45-41 lead into the locker room.
Coming out of the locker room the Skyhawks grabbed back some of the momentum they had lost as the home team methodically built a 60-48 lead. An undaunted Colorado Christian squad worked their way back as they pulled within five points (72-67) after baskets by Jadyn Michael and Collin Huun with just under eight minutes left.
That five-point spread would be as close as the Cougars would get. Fort Lewis scored nine of the game's next 11 points to get their lead back to double figures and force Colorado Christian into a timeout with 2:12 remaining. The Cougars got within seven points (91-85) after Aidan Cantwell hit three foul shots with 19 seconds remaining but they couldn't draw closer.
In the second half, the Skyhawks shot 57.1 percent (12-for-21) from the floor.
The biggest disparity came from the foul line as Fort Lewis made 36 of their 43 attempts from the charity stripe while the Cougars went 10-for-12.
COUGAR LEADERS: Justin Engesser scored a team high 19 points as the Cougars placed five in double figures. The junior made five of his eight shots from behind the arc to aid in his effort. Engesser also had a career high eight assists while tying for team high rebounding (6) honors.
Elijah Oliver came off the bench to score 15 points in 23 minutes. Jadyn Michael set his individual season highs in numerous categories as he registered a 13-point evening. He also notched a six-rebound effort. Collin Huun (12) and Cantwell (10) rounded out the double figure scorers.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Colorado Christian went to the foul line for the first time with 9:54 left in the contest
- The Cougars had 44 points come from their bench players
- Colorado Christian committed just eight turnovers
UP NEXT: The Cougars begin a homestand next weekend. The first of the back-to-back RMAC games begins on Friday when Colorado Christian hosts Western Colorado at 7:00 p.m.
