GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado turned the tables on Fort Lewis College, flipping the results from an early January loss to the Skyhawks into an 85-77 home victory Saturday afternoon in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action at Paul Wright Gym.

Fort Lewis had defeated the Mountaineers by 26 points five weeks ago, but on Saturday Western had the better of play for most of the game.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western def. Fort Lewis, 85-77
Records: Western 8-16 overall (6-10 RMAC), FLC 14-9 (11-4)
Location: Paul Wright Gym, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Early moments of the game saw the two play evenly, but leading 11-10, the Skyhawks ran off an 7-0 run to forge ahead. Immediately though, Western responded with an 8-0 run to jump back into the fray and tie the game at 18-18.
• Fort Lewis inched back in front only to have the Mountaineers push back to take a four-point lead at 26-22. The Skyhawks, tied for first place in the RMAC standings, came right back to take their own four-point lead (30-26).
• Jordan Kuac nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing to cut into the deficit, then after an Aidan McDowell defensive rebound, Quincy Scott dropped in a triple to lift Western in front, 32-30, with a lead it wouldn't relinquish the rest of the way.
• The half ended with Western in front by just a point, 43-42, but nearing the midpoint of the second half the advantage had grown to 14 (60-46).
• The Mountaineers still had a double-digit lead with 2 minutes to play, but the Skyhawks would claw back to make it a one possession game (79-76) with 71 seconds remaining.
• Western closed out the game with a 6-1 spurt that included four successful free throws by McDowell with two by Reese Strawn sandwiched between McDowell's trips to the line.

HARDWOOD NOTES

• McDowell finished with a game-high 27 points, a total that included five 3-pointers and a 10-for-12 afternoon from the free throw line.
• Kuac (15 points), Dawlton Grant (11) and Scott (10) joined McDowell in double digits for Western, which got a season high 28 points from its non-starters as well as scoring a season-best 25 fast break points.
• Scott led the way with nine rebounds as Western won the battle off the glass, 41-39.
• Joanis Koulisianis is a growing presence in the paint that opponents must be wary of, getting three blocked shots for the third game in a row. He added five points and had five rebounds, four off the defensive rim.

UP NEXT
Western closes out its home schedule for 2025-26 with its next game, an RMAC contest Thursday, Feb. 19 against visiting Westminster University.