February 1, 2008

Fort Lewis steamrolls past ThunderWolves

PUEBLO, Colo. - When you're playing a team as tough as Fort Lewis, which came into Friday's game with the ThunderWolves as the 25th-ranked team in the country, some "divine intervention" might be needed to come away with a win.

Instead, the Pack seemed to suffer from "divine retribution."

The ThunderWolves, reeling from a hand injury to starting point guard, Jordan Surratt, that may end his season, the Pack picked a bad day to try and reinvent their offense, losing 98-70 to a very hot Skyhawk team.

The ThunderWolves tried a platoon of Ty McTyer and Rome Smith at the point to fill the hole, and both did a decent job filling in. But some foul trouble by center Jake Trahern, and in-game injuries suffered by starters Chris Childress and Ken Moses kept the Pack from gaining any momentum and finding any rhythm. Childress and Moses both eventually came back into the game, but it left the Pack feeling like there was a black cloud hanging over them.

"We were going through an adjustment without Jordan," Pack coach Patrick Eberhart said. "When [Fort Lewis] figured out Jordan wasn't in the lineup, they went after our guards."

McTyer, who has had little playing time as of late, came in and did a good job running the point, logging two assists and two steals. But overall, the Pack's transition game was virtually non-existent.

"This was the worst game to not have Jordan, but our guys did okay," Eberhart said. "Ty gave us a good spurt and Rome is getting better at the point."

One bright spot in the Pack's game was the performance of freshman Damon Dechant. Dechant came off the bench and performed admirably, going 5-for-9 from the field and scoring 11 points, all career highs. Dechant showed flashes of dominance under the basket as his game begins to improve, Eberhart said.

"Damon has earned it on the practice floor all year long, and this was his time to get his chance," Eberhart said. "He did great with the opportunity, and he gives us another guy to throw in the game."

Despite any silver lining, the game was a still a big loss, leaving the Pack searching for answers. The ThunderWolves will have little time to re-assess their lineup, as they host Mesa State tomorrow night.