Article Contributed on: 2/6/2006 9:29:14 AM
Four Skyhawks tallied double digits in scoring to help the Fort Lewis College men's basketball team defeat New Mexico Highlands Saturday night, 81-69. The Skyhawks weren't able to shake off the Cowboys until late in the second period. Fort Lewis moves to 14-7 overall and 10-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. New Mexico Highlands drops to 8-12 and 4-9 in league games.
Forward Tim Bieri (Berthoud) notched 5 of 10 from the floor including 4 of 8 from long range as part of his 17 points. He also added four assists and three blocks. Junior Ryan Johnson (Aurora) registered 16 points, nine of which came from downtown while freshman Ryan Mortensen (Cortez) came off the bench to score 13 points. Guard Ryan Jameson (Durango) tallied 10 points and three assists to round out the Skyhawks scoring in double figures.
The Cowboys were paced by Robert Franklin with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Donald Gray and Aaron Romero both came off the bench to contribute 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Fort Lewis shot 48.2 percent from the floor (27 of 56) and 40 percent from behind the arc (14 of 35). NMHU registered 28 of 60 in field goals (46.7 percent) and 42.1 percent in three-pointers (8 of 19).
The Skyhawks will face Mesa State and Western State at home next weekend, Feb. 10-11. Dave Bray will call the action on KIUP 930 AM and www.radiodurango.com.