ALAMOSA, Colo. (December 11, 2016) – Adams State University hosts a pair of conference games before the holiday break against No. 20 Fort Lewis College and Westminster College (Utah). The Grizzlies face the Skyhawks on Tuesday, Dec. 13^th, at 7:30pm. The Grizzlies then meet the Griffins on Friday, Dec. 16^th at 3pm.
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Last Time Out
Adams State split on the road last weekend with a 75-71 win over Western State Colorado University but followed with a 91-82 loss to Colorado Mesa University.
The Grizzlies led by 17 points midway through the second period vs. Western State but the Mountaineers climbed back and made it a slim 71-68 ASU lead after a Ben Beauchamp three-pointer with 18 seconds left. After Beauchamp's three, the Grizzlies responded with four Brandon Sly free throws as Western State was forced to foul to stop the clock. Will Duggan drained yet another three-pointer with two-seconds remaining to bring the game to its final score of 75-71. In the win Brandon Pasker collected his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Bryan Umoru added 15 points and 8 rebounds with Jarrett Givens and Sly providing 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Against the Mavericks, the Grizzlies held a 49-37 halftime lead but were unable to hold onto it. Early in the second half, the Grizzlies were able to counter any Maverick run but it was Colorado Mesa who eventually tied the game at 65-65 with 6:33 remaining.  The Mavericks immediately followed with an 11-1 run which was broken up by a Bryan Umoru three-pointer with 1:49 left and CMU now holding a 76-69 lead. The Umoru three ended a six minute field goal drought for ASU.

After the Umoru three, the Grizzlies were forced to foul to stop the clock and send CMU to the free throw line. The offensive woes continued as Adams State was unable to make up any ground; sending the game to its final score of 91-82. Sly posted 19 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds in the loss as Umoru added 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

Conference Glance
No. 20 Fort Lewis stands atop the RMAC standings at 9-1 overall and 4-1 in the RMAC. Metropolitan State University of Denver is second at 8-2 overall and 4-0 in RMAC play. Adams State stands in the middle of the pack at 5-5, 2-2 RMAC.

Scouting The Skyhawks
The No. 20 Skyhawks stand atop the RMAC and enter Alamosa with a conference-best 97.3 ppg. Defensively, Fort Lewis allows 74.7 ppg. to give the Skyhawks a RMAC-leading +22.6 scoring margin. The unit also ranks first in the RMAC in field goal percentage (51%), three-point percentage (46%), assists (19.5 per/game), turnover margin (+4.9), assist/turnover ratio (1.7), defensive rebounds (28.4 per/game), and three-pointers per game (11.5).

Rasmus Bach (19.6 ppg.) and Joshua Blaylock (19.1 ppg.) rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in RMAC scoring. Brandon Wilson has a team-best 8.0 rebounds per game with Will Morse leading the RMAC with 5.8 assists per game. The program is under the direction of Bob Pietrack in his second season. The Skyhawks are currently on a 9 game winning streak.

Scouting The Griffins
Westminster College will enter Plachy Hall with a 3-3 overall record and a 3-1 RMAC mark. The Griffins are coming off an 87-69 loss at Colorado State University-Pueblo but preceded that with three RMAC wins. Westminster hangs their cap on defense with a conference-best 65.2 ppg. allowed. The stingy defense has translated to a RMAC-best 38 percent opponent field goal mark.

Dayon Goodman will charge the offense behind his 16.7 ppg. and 7.7 rebounds per game. Goodman will look to also make an impact on defense as Goodman averages 1.5 blocks per game. Norm Parrish is in his second season coaching the Griffins.

Last We Met
The Grizzlies went 1-1 vs. the Skyhawks last season and won their only meeting against the Griffins. The Grizzlies defeated Fort Lewis, 73-65, on 12/5/15 in the conference opener but fell 103-73 to the Skyhawks on 2/26/16 in the regular season finale. Adams State picked up a 79-60 road win on 1/15/16 vs. Westminster.

Looking Ahead
The Grizzlies wrap up the 2016 calendar year on the road with a pair of RMAC games. The Grizzlies face Colorado Christian University on Dec. 30^th at 7pm with a 6pm meeting set with Chadron State College on New Year's Eve.
 
Stay Connected
For any updates regarding Adams State athletics stay connected with www.asugrizzlies.com! Updates are also available through the Grizzlies official Twitter (@ASUGrizzlies) and Facebook (/TheAsuGrizzlies) accounts.
 
Team Posters
Fans, team posters are available online at www.asugrizzlies.com. Navigate to the 'Fan Zone' at the top of the ASU home page to find our 'Team Posters' link. Team posters will be updated and added over the course of the year. Hard copies of posters are also available at the ASU athletic office.