LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Much like Friday night's contest, a 68-49 victory over Xavier (La.), the Lewis-Clark State College women's basketball team took a while to get going against Northwest Christian University on Saturday night, but when they did there was no stopping the NAIA's seventh-ranked team.
 
After losing the first quarter 22-20, LCSC outscored NCU 78-32 in the final 30 minutes en route to a 98-54 win in the second game of the Frontier Conference Las Vegas Shootout at Durango High School. The win is the eighth in a row for the Warriors while the Beacons fall to 1-2.
 
I was a little disappointed at how we came out, especially in the first quarter," said Warriors Head Coach Brian Orr. "I thought we played hard but we had several communication problems and we weren't defending to the scout. You have to give Northwest Christian a lot of credit, they came out and shot the ball and played well and we struggled defensively in the first half."
 
The Beacons got a pair of 3-pointers from Niki Duncan and Monique Thompson to open a 6-0 lead, but eight straight Warrior points, which included a Brooke Litalien three, put LC ahead 8-6. Lewis-Clark State maintained a slim lead as the teams traded baskets until the final 30 seconds when Jeni Hoffert and Ashley Land connected on 3-pointers to put NCU ahead 22-20.
 
"I always tell our team no matter the score we are always in a game because we know we can put points on the board quickly. Everyone on the court is a scoring threat. We'd like to be more consistent and not have the lulls and turnovers and missed shots, but some of that is part of the game," said Orr.
 
Never were those words more evident than in the second quarter as LCSC used an 18-3 run to take an 11-point halftime lead. After an NCU four-point run put the Beacons ahead, Megan Risinger took over the game. The senior scored seven of the Warriors' next 14 points to put LC ahead for good.
 
A pair of free throws by Risinger sparked the run and Lauren Johnson connected on a deep three to put LC in front. A Caelyn Orlandi basket pushed the lead to five and LC never looked back.
 
"I felt good for Lauren tonight, she needs to build some confidence and to see her break out and hit some big three's when we needed them was great to see," said Orr. "I also thought Megan played great tonight. She made 2-or-3 really good passes and, I hate to admit it, but this was the first time I've called a play for her to score from the block. She had it going tonight, I'm proud of her."
 
The Warriors carried the momentum into the second half and turned up the intensity on both ends of the floor. LC State limited the Beacons to just 21 second half points while the offense put up 54 to put the game away.
 
"I'm proud of how we came out in the second half," said Orr. "We moved the ball much better and were really efficient in the second half. We also played better defense and defended hard."
 
Despite the slow start LCSC shot 49.3 percent from the field, 37-of-75, which included a 29.6 percent mark from beyond the 3-point arc, 8-of-27. The Warriors also converted 16-of-21 free throw attempts for 76.2 percent mark.
 
The defense buckled down after the first quarter as it allowed just 12 made baskets in the final three quarters after the Beacons made eight in the opening 10 minutes. NCU finished the night 19-of-54 from the field, a 35.2 percent clip, 6-of-21 from the 3-point arc, a 28.6 percent mark and 10-of-18 from the charity stripe, 55.6 percent.
 
The Warriors also won on the glass, 48-31 and scored 12 second-chance points to four for the Beacons. LCSC also turned 15 NCU turnovers into 25 points, won in the paint, 28-14 and got 37 points from the bench.
 
"This was a total team effort and I'm happy with how we played, especially in the second half," said Orr. "When everyone scores it's always fun and everyone feels part of the game. We need to be more consistent, but that will come."
 
Litalien paced the Warriors with 16 points while five other Warriors netted double figures. Orlandi finished with 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds while Brittany Tackett and Hailey Turner each grabbed eight rebounds to lead LC.
 
"We have a tough turnaround tomorrow," said Orr. "Arizona Christian played the early game today and we move up a game tomorrow, but we have a good bench and we will use it early and often."
 
The Warriors will play their third game in three days on Sunday when they wrap up the Frontier Conference Las Vegas Shootout at 3:30 p.m. against Arizona Christian University.