CHADRON, Neb. – January 20, 2018 – Chadron State College pushed the visiting Fort Lewis College men's basketball team in the first half, but despite a 22 to 14 rebounding advantage in the second, the Skyhawks were able to put more than two-thirds of their shots through the net in the second half, rolling to a 96-69 win in Chadron on Saturday evening.
 
"Fort Lewis brings a lot," said coach Houston Reed. "They have guards that can make baskets, hit threes, and get to the rim. They've got bigs as good as anyone in the league. It's not rocket science, though. They shot 62 percent from the floor, and we shot 36. Basketball's about putting that rubber ball in the rim. The effort was great, and we made a good run in the first half, but we lost our composure. Some of that youth showed, and we got hurried, so Fort Lewis took advantage of some of our mistakes."
 
CSC sophomore guard Jordan Mills, who came off the bench but started the second half, was 5-of-8 from inside the arc in the opening stanza, and hit back-to-back late-game treys to finish with a game-high 19 points. True freshman Eric Jamerman also took advantage of some open looks in the second half to finish 4-for-8 from three-point range and totaled 17 points, the second-best on the court.
 
No other Eagle scored in double figures, however. Jeremy Ruffin, whose 17 rebounds led all players, got 10 of those boards on the offensive glass but counted just five points.
 
The Eagles were without starting point guard Jaisean Jackson, who had developed an illness this week, but welcomed back senior forward Matt Reader from a family emergency. Forward Michael Johnson was present, but still fighting illness, while forward Adoum Mbang is also back in school but working through an eligibility challenge.
 
CSC hit 36.0 percent of their field goals, and fired up 31 attempts from long range but only about one-third were true.
 
Fort Lewis, who was 62.1 percent from the field for the game, had a whopping six players to score in double-digits, led by junior forward Marquel Beasley, who racked up 15 points and nine rebounds to lead his team in both.
 
The Skyhawks advance to 16-3, and 12-2 in league, with the win, and remain atop the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings with the win.
 
Chadron State falls to 3-16 (1-12 RMAC). The team travels to Colorado State University-Pueblo and New Mexico Highlands University this week, for road games against a couple of RMAC opponents circling .500 in the league.
 
Score by half:
Fort Lewis            48        48         ----96
Chadron State      31        38         ----69
               Fort Lewis—Marquel Beasley 15, Daniel Hernandez 14, Brandon Wilson 14, Riley Farris 11, Collin Weaver 10, Cesar Molina 6, DJ Miles 6, Alex Semadeni 6, Kane Martinez 2. Totals: 41-66 (9-20) 5-7 96 points, 33 rebounds, 12 turnovers.
               Chadron State—Jordan Mills 19, Eric Jamerman 17, Dru Kuxhausen 9, Matt Reader 8, Walker Andrew 7, Jeremy Ruffin 5, Vonsinh Sayaloune 3, Leigh Saffin 1. Totals: 27-75 (10-31) 5-11 69 points, 44 rebounds, 18 turnovers.
              
3-pointers: FLC—Miles 2, Molina 2, Weaver 2, Bach 1, Farris 1, Hernandez 1. CSC—Jamerman 4, Kuxhausen 3, Mills 2, Sayaloune 1.