PUEBLO — Fort Lewis, the unanimous favorite to win the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference before the first game was played, walked off with the championship hardware in the final game of the season.
The Skyhawks, behind 17 points from senior DeAndre Lansdowne, knocked off top-seeded Colorado Mines 72-67 in the RMAC Shootout men’s championship game Saturday at the Colorado State Fair Events Center.
“We had a little something to prove,” said Lansdowne, who is the all-time leading scorer at the school.
Both teams will play on, heading to the NCAA Division II Tournament this week. Regular-season champion Mines (24-5) had a chance to host the Central Regional with a win, but now most likely will be on the road at Minnesota State.
The Skyhawks (22-7) trailed by seven in the first half, but a little direction from veteran coach Bob Hofman at halftime worked wonders.
“Coach told us to be ready to shoot the ball ahead of time,” Lansdowne said. “We were waiting instead of being ready to shoot as soon as we got it.”
Fort Lewis rattled off a 9-0 run to break open a close game midway through the second half. Shootout MVP Daniel Steffensen (15 points) hit two 3-pointers and the Skyhawks made good on a three-point play to widen their lead.
From there, they just held on.
“There really wasn’t anything special said, other than to play better defense and rebound,” Hofman said.
Fort Lewis shot 56 percent from the field, a stat not lost on Mines coach Pryor Orser.
“When you allow teams to shoot 56 percent, you’re usually not going to win,” he said. “Our kids played for a championship for the first time and we get to play more basketball.”
The Skyhawks also hit 20-of-27 free throws.
The Orediggers had a chance to cut the lead to three with less than two minutes to play but couldn’t grab a rebound on a missed free throw, and the Skyhawks ran more clock before increasing their lead.
“Not getting that rebound was a problem. It cost us a chance to win the game,” Orser said. “This was typical of us this season in that when we lose, it’s on the second night (of back-to-back games). We have great energy that first night but seem to tail off a little that second night.”
Dale Minschwaner finished with 19 points and Gordon Galloway added 15 for the Orediggers. Both players earned all-tourney honors.
FORT LEWIS (22-7)
Lansdowne 6-10 3-4 17, Steffensen 5-12 3-4 15, Kanyinda 1-2 9-10 12, Morris 3-3 3-4 9, Behrens 3-5 2-5 8, Billups 3-5 0-0 7, Drumm 1-2 0-0 2, Udall 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 23-41 20-27 72.
COLORADO MINES (24-5)
Minschwaner 8-16 3-4 19, Galloway 6-13 2-4 15, Hoffman 3-9 2-2 9, Mucci 3-5 2-2 8, Armstrong 3-10 2-3 8, Green 1-5 0-0 3, Goutama 1-1 0-0 3, Wages 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 26-61 11-15 67.
Halftime — Colorado Mines 33-27. 3-point goals — Fort Lewis 6-15 (Lansdowne 2-5, Steffensen 2-6, Billups 1-2, Kanyinda 1-2), Colorado Mines 4-14 (Hoffman 1-5, Galloway 1-3, Goutama 1-1, Green 1-2, Armstrong 0-2, Mucci 0-1). Fouled out — Galloway. Rebounds — Fort Lewis 27 (Steffensen 7, Behrens 7), Colorado Mines 31 (Minschwaner 11). Assists — Fort Lewis 14 (Behrens 5), Colorado Mines 12 (Armstrong 6). Total fouls — Fort Lewis 17, Colorado Mines 21. A — 1,881.
