Reggie Thompson
The Paw Print
Adams State College’s men’s basketball team fell three points shy of a big win against conference rival Fort Lewis College in a 78-75 thriller on Saturday night.
Coming into the game, Fort Lewis was 14-3 overall and ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II Central Regional Rankings. The Grizzlies fought back in the second half after losing by as many as 20 points in the first half.
“We played jittery early on…which is not indicative of our team’s play this year,” head coach Louis Wilson described of his team.
“We didn’t move the ball enough, caused too many turnovers, and our impatience led to poor shot selection. [Fort Lewis] just hit shots after our mistakes.”
Offensively, the team struggled in the first half making only 32.1 percent of their shots compared to the Skyhawks’ 48.1 percent field goal percentage.
The team’s second half resurgence was due in part to Grizzlies’ junior guard Deray Wilson and senior forward Nate Ingbretson, whose aggressive play sparked the comeback. Wilson and Ingbretson stepped up after a key player, junior guard Marqus Richards, left the game with a technical foul 11:50 remaining in the first half. Ingbretson and Wilson both set career-highs for single game points scored; 27 for Wilson and 19 for Ingbretson.
“We played with urgency,” Wilson said of the team’s second half effort. “That’s what we had to do.” With both players coming off the bench, Adams State outscored Fort Lewis in bench points 55-23
In the second half, the Grizzlies improved their field goal percentage to 51.7 percent as the Skyhawks’ fell to 34.5 percent. Fort Lewis’ inability to hit free throws kept Adams State’s chances alive. The Skyhawks only completed 9 of their 24 free throw attempts (37.5 percent). Ironically, the difference late in the game was a clutch free throw by Fort Lewis senior guard David Kanyinda and a virtually sealing layup by fellow senior guard DeAndre Lansdowne, who was 1-6 from the line.
The weekend ended on a high note for the Grizzlies with an 81-66 win against non-conference opponent Johnson and Wales University on Sunday. Strong defensive play was a reason for Adams State’s success Sunday night. The Grizzlies forced 20 turnovers, 14 of them being steals. Senior forward Seth Heinbaugh led the team with five of those steals.
Junior guard/forward Shayar Lee led the team with 22 points. However, late in the game, Lee suffered a right knee injury. It is unknown how long he will be out. This would be an unfortunate loss for the Grizzlies. Lee leads the team in minutes (444) and averages 27.8 points per game, also a team high.
On Febuary 2, the latest NCAA Division II Central Regional Ranking had Adams State ranked seventh. Last week the Grizzlies were ranked fifth, the highest ranking since the team has been in Division II.
After this weekend’s games, the team is 10-4 in Rocky Moutain Athletic Conference play and 14-4 overall. Next on the schedule for the Grizzlies is a two-game road stint against New Mexico Highlands on Februaray 4 and Western New Mexico on February 5.
What’s Been Said…