By: Con Marshall
CSC Sports Information
DURANGO, Colo. – Both Chadron State and Fort Lewis finished their Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference basketball game on Thursday night with 11 three-pointers, but the Skyhawks sank six treys to CSC's one in the first 10 minutes to give the home team a big lead that they never yielded en route to an 80-65 victory.
Senior Isaiah Randolph and freshman Luka Djurovic each had 13 points to pace the Eagles while guards Zach Smith and Mack Keighran added 11 apiece. Randolph also blocked three shots and the 6-8 Djurovic, who meshed five of his six field goal shots, including all three of his three-pointers, also grabbed 10 rebounds while playing arguably the best game of his young career.
The Skyhawks' early success from behind the arc put them ahead 25-11 halfway through the first half. Chadron State never got closer than nine points the rest of the way. Fort Lewis finished the first half 8-of-19 on three-pointers and held a 42-27 intermission lead. Three-pointers were certainly the game's feature. The two teams fired 72 of them—41 by CSC and 31 by FLC.
Each team scored 38 points in the second half, but the die had been cast. Even though the Eagles made six treys in the second half, twice as many as Fort Lewis, the Skyhawks maintained at least a 10-point advantage.
The Eagles had also trailed by sizable margins at halftime at home the previous weekend—16 points against Metro State in the first game and 13 versus Colorado School of Mines in the second. CSC rallied to defeat Metro 84-77 and to draw within two points of Mines. But Fort Lewis held off the challenge with some room to spare on its home court.
Fort Lewis was led by 6-foot-2 guard Stewart Erhart, who sank three of his team's six early treys, with 22 points. Fellow guard Jaxon Smith had 16 and the inside duo of Chuol Deng and Cassius Carmichael, 13 and 12, respectively.
The win snapped the Skyhawks' four-game losing skid and solidifies their status as one of the top three teams in the RMAC standings. They are now 13-4 in league play while Black Hills State is 14-3 and Colorado Mesa is 13-3.
The Eagles are 6-19 overall and 4-13 in the RMAC. They will tangle with Adams State in Alamosa on Saturday afternoon.
Chadron State—Isaiah Randolph 13, Luka Djurovic 13, Zach Smith 11, Mack Keighran 11, Jackson Schauer 7, Collin Nick 5, Blessing Adesipe 3, Jovan Jovanovic 2. Totals: 19-58 (11-41) 16-7, 65 points, 33 rebounds, 13 assists, 16 turnovers.