ALAMOSA, Colo. (December 5th, 2015) – Adams State University bucked their trend of falling late in games with a 73-65 win over Fort Lewis College in front of a rowdy Plachy Hall crowd.
The Grizzlies (2-4, 1-0 RMAC) settled into a familiar role of starting hot by controlling the lead for nearly the entire opening half. Adams State eventually entered halftime with a 34-30 lead highlighted by frustrating the Skyhawks to shooting 28.8 percent (8-28) from the field. However, Fort Lewis remained close by making 11-of-13 free throws during the opening stanza.
The tone shifted after the break as a Kody Salcido layup at 14:07 gave the Skyhawks a 45-43 lead. It marked their first lead since midway through the first period. The last bit of action turned into a thriller as the game saw four lead changes in the final 7:54 of regulation. Propelling the Grizzlies to the win was a 14-5 run with
Shakir Smith accounting for seven points during that span.
"I thought we did a good job disrupting their style of play. We hurt ourselves a lot with some of our decision making. Great effort from everyone, which made up for our miscues." Said head coach
Russ Caton after the game.
In the win, the Grizzlies limited the Skyhawks to a 36.1 percent shooting clip while outrebounding their RMAC foe, 47-35.
Offensively, Adams State was paced by Smith's 17 points as the trio of
Joe Bell Austin,
DJ Morgan, and
Bryan Umoru each added 10 points apiece. Rasmus Bach chipped in 16 points for the Skyhawks in a losing effort.
The Grizzlies are next in action at home on December 11
th against Colorado Christian University. Tip-off is slated for 7:30pm.
