Mountain Lion rally falls short as Fort Lewis wins in UCCS Event Center debut

COLORADO SPRINGS - Scott Sublousky's 3-point attempt to tie the game with four seconds left caromed off the back of the rim as the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs dropped its first game in the UCCS Event Center, 65-62 to the Fort Lewis Skyhawks on Friday evening.

Chris Fernandez had hit a 3-pointer with just under a minute remaining to cut a six-point Fort Lewis lead in half. After regaining possession thanks to Tommy Klausner's fourth blocked shot of the game, Alex Snyder streaked down the lane for a fast-break layup to cut the deficit to one with 28 seconds left.

Forced to foul, UCCS put Fort Lewis' Kyle Behrens to the line. The Fort Lewis junior made both, setting up Sublousky's last-gasp attempt.

Behrens led Fort Lewis (10-3, 4-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) with 14 points. Matt Morris and Bryse Velasquez each added 13 and DeAndre Lansdowne had 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Fernadez had 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds for UCCS (3-9, 1-3 RMAC). Snyder added 13 points and Cole Smith 11, while Ben Feilmeier had six assists.

The game was a classic grinder, with the defenses dominating the action. Fort Lewis shot 43.4 percent overall and just 18.2 percent from 3-point range. UCCS countered with 37 and 25 percent respectively.

The Mountain Lions hopped it wouldn't come down to a buzzer beater. After taking a six-point lead into the intermission, UCCS pushed its lead to 38-28 with 18 minutes remaining. Fort Lewis climbed back over the next seven minutes with Lansdowne's three-point play tying the game at 44.

The games was tied at 46 when Daniel Steffensen scored five points during a 7-0 Skyhawks run that gave them the lead for good. UCCS couldn't get closer than four until the last-minute - and ultimately fruitless - surge.