ALAMOSA, Colo.— The Fort Lewis College Skyhawks escaped Plachy Hall with a narrow one-point win over the Adams State University Grizzlies here on Wednesday evening. The Grizzlies, who led by as many as nine points with just over nine minutes remaining, only hit 13-of-20 free throws as they fell 76-75.

The game was a showcase of centers as Adams State senior Frederick Jackson scored 28 points and had 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season before he fouled out in the final 10 seconds of the game. Meanwhile, Riley Farris, a preseason All-American senior forward, started for Fort Lewis after he missed last weekend's two home games because of an illness and finished with game-highs of 29 points and 12 rebounds.

Adams State also a strong showing from Destan Williams, who scored 18 points, and Kaelin Crane, who was a single rebound away from a double-double himself. Crane finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.

With Adams State up late thanks in part to a 9-2 run, the Grizzlies saw Farris go on his own 7-0 run in which he made a 3-pointer, two free throws, and then a layup to give the Skyhawks a 65-63 lead.

As the game reached its' boiling point in the final ten seconds, things were chippy. With FLC up 76-73 with six seconds to play, the Skyhawks opted to foul Williams with four seconds on the clock.

Williams made both free throws. On the ensuing inbounds play, FLC turned the ball over on a traveling violation with 2.9 seconds still on the clock. On what appeared to be a perfectly drawn up play by coach Russ Caton, Williams used a screen and had the ball come into his hands before he drove hard to the basket and got open for a running floater in the lane at the buzzer. Adrenaline got the best of him as his shot was a little too strong and binged off the back of the rim.

Adams State, who was third in the conference standings entering the day, fall to fourth with a 5-5 record. They will be back in action on Friday night when they hit the golden threshold of 11 games and take on Black Hills State at 7:30 p.m. An RMAC Champion will be declared if at least five teams complete 50 percent of their originally approve schedule – 11 games. The Regular Season Champion and RMAC Tournament qualifiers are determined using the NCAA Division II RPI system. Teams must compete in at least 11 regularly scheduled contests to be eligible for the RMAC Tournament.

Saturday's game with Chadron State has been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols but the Grizzlies will be back on Monday when they host a make-up game against UCCS at 6:00 p.m.