PORTLAND, Ore. – Using a pair of runs during key stretches of the game, the Lewis-Clark State College men's basketball team capped a strong weekend with a 60-52 win over Warner Pacific on Saturday night.
 
LCSC held Warner Pacific to just two points over the final 7:10 of the first half, and then went on a 10-0 run midway through the second half to put the game out of reach.
 
It was the second straight strong defensive performance for LCSC, which beat Portland Bible College 105-53 on Friday night.
 
"That was a big road win for us to cap off this six-game (road) swing," LCSC coach Brandon Rinta said. "I was especially impressed with our defense in the first half, holding them to 21 points."
 
The Warriors, ranked No. 15 in the NAIA, improved to 8-2 overall after they finished 5-1 on the two-week road swing.
 
LCSC, which was missing guards Isaiah Omamogho and Derrick White because of injuries, got out to an early lead, but the Knights battled back to tie it at 19 with 7:10 left in the first half. That's when LCSC's defense set the tone and held Warner Pacific to just one field goal the rest of the half.
 
The Warriors, in the meantime, went on a 12-2 run to take a 31-21 advantage at halftime. Senior Doug McDaniel, who finished with a game-high 22 points, scored eight points during the run.
 
In the second half, Warner Pacific was able to cut the lead to five twice, the second time at 43-38 with 11:12 left. LCSC, however, scored the next 10 points for a 53-38 lead and the Knights couldn't get closer than the final margin the rest of the way. McDaniel had two 3-pointers while Anthony Sullen had the other two buckets during the run.
 
"It got tight in the second half but we were able to get some baskets at the rim, and then Doug came up with some big 3s to give us some breathing room," Rinta said.
 
McDaniel finished 8-of-14 from the field and also had six rebounds and three assists. Zavon Jackson had eight points, seven rebounds and six assists. Ty Higbee had nine rebounds and Christian Davis added six to help LCSC to a 51-35 advantage on the glass.
 
"Zavon, Doug, Ty, and Christian were all big for us rebounding wise," Rinta said. "Defensively, Trea (Thomas) did a great job on some of their quicker guards."
 
LCSC finished the game 23-of-62 from the field for 37.1 percent and 7-of-24 from the 3-point line for 29.2. Percent. The Warriors did have 15 assists on their 23 baskets.
 
Warner Pacific shot 37.3 percent from the field (22-of-59). The Knights made just 2-of-17 attempts from beyond the 3-point line.
 
"This was big for us to be able to win on the road against a quality opponent without Derrick and Isaiah," Rinta said of the two guards who have combined to start 11 games this season. "Derrick has a sprained ankle and Isaiah hurt his shoulder last (Friday) night. We hope to have them back by Thursday."
 
The Warriors kick off Frontier Conference play at home Thursday when the University of Great Falls comes to the Activity Center for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. LCSC then plays host to Montana State-Northern on Saturday, also at 7:30 p.m.
 
LCSC plays its next six games at home, including all five in December. Along with the two conference games, LCSC plays back-to-back non-conference games against Portland Bible (Dec. 19, 2 p.m.) and Walla Walla University (Dec. 20, 7 p.m.) LCSC also plays on New Year's Eve against Montana Tech at 5:30 p.m.