DURANGO, Colo. - Adams State Men's Basketball took down Fort Lewis College Friday night, 90-79, on the road to finish the regular season 11-16 overall and 11-11 in the RMAC.
The Grizzlies win coupled with a Chadron State loss at MSU Denver on Friday punched their ticket as the No. 8 seed in the RMAC Men's Basketball Tournament.
Adams State held an edge in nearly every area of the game but the biggest difference came on the team's overall shooting. They shot 29-57 for 5.9% and held Fort Lewis (12-16, 7-15 RMAC) to just 35.7% shooting on 25-70 made shots.
The Skyhawks managed to to stay in front early on in the game but the Grizzlies stayed within reach. They trailed 12-9 with 15:09 to play but a 9-0 run gave the Grizzlies the lead and they never let the Skyhawks retake the lead the rest of the night.
A pair of John Dewey layups and jump shot along with a three-pointer from Justice Augmon gave Adams State an 18-12 advantage. The Skyhawks managed to tie the game at 30-all with 4:08 to play in the game but the Grizzlies then went on a 13-0 run to lead by double figures. The Skyhawks added four points before halftime to trail 43-34 at the break.
Dewey, Augmon, and Davere Creighton all poured in 11 points in the first half points to lead the way for the Grizzlies as the team shot 57.6% on 19-33 made buckets.
Fort Lewis battled back in the second half and managed to get within five points early on but once again Adams State had an answer to stay in front the whole time. Rickey Norris pushed the lead back to 10 points, 54-44, with fast break layup.
Creighton pushed the lead to 57-44 the next possession with a deep triple. The surge was short lived as the Skyhawks kept getting within single digits. They cut the Grizzlies lead to four, 61-57, with just over 11 minutes to play in the game.
Despite the quick spurts from Fort Lewis, Adams State held composure and continued to stay in the driver seat. Late pushes from the home team proved to be in vein as late free throws helped Adams State seal the win.
Dewey poured in a game-high 25 points to lead the Grizzlies on 6-11 shooting and was 11-12 from the free throw line. Creighton posted a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Both Norris and Augmon finished with 13 points, respectively.
Marquel Beasley also scored a game-high 25 points to lead Fort Lewis 10-19 made shots. He also had a game-high 13 rebounds for the double-double. Alex Semadeni added 19 points, while Otas Iyekekpolor chipped in 16 points.
The Grizzlies will be the No. 8 seed in the RMAC Tournament and will travel to Golden, Colo. to take on the top-seeded Orediggers of Colorado School of Mines. The opening round game is set for Tuesday, March 5 with tip-off starting at 8 p.m.
