LEWISTON, Idaho  – There's an old saying about dancing with the one who brought you to the dance.
 
For the Lewis-Clark State College men's basketball team, that dance is becoming quite the event.
 
Playing with an injury-riddled lineup, the Warriors won their third straight game with basically a five-guard lineup as LCSC took down Rocky Mountain 90-84 in Frontier Conference action at the LCSC Activity Center on Thursday.
 
LCSC, 16-6 overall, moved to 6-4 in league play, while Rocky Mountain, which defeated LCSC earlier this season in Billings, Mont., falls to 10-11 and 3-6.
 
The Warriors are down to nine players because of injuries, the latest to Connor Desaulniers, who is out at least another week with a sprain. The absence of the 6-foot-8 freshman, along with 6-6 forward Jeremy Franklin, who is likely out for the year, means LCSC has only two players taller than 6-3.
 
It hasn't been a problem, however, as the Warriors won twice on the road last week with the smaller lineup and then put up more impressive numbers in Thursday night's win.
 
"It is a little bit of a different look for us," LCSC coach Brandon Rinta said. "We have missed Jeremy and we have missed Connor, and what they bring to the table. We have had to do things a little bit differently and re-invent ourselves. Different guys are stepping up and I think that has energized us."
 
The Warriors certainly used that energy in the second half when they broke open a tight contest. LCSC led 38-35 at halftime.
 
Senior Doug McDaniel scored eight of his career-high 32 points to spark a 15-4 run to start the second half that put the Warriors ahead 53-39. McDaniel had a big night as he was 10-of-18 from the field and 10-of-12 at the foul line. He also added nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
 
"Doug had a great performance tonight," Rinta said. "Early in the second half, we were able to knock down some shots and that got us energized a bit. We got a little cushion.
 
"But there's nothing like creating a little drama at the end, huh?"
 
LCSC led by as much as 17 in the second half and the lead remained in double digits until the end. LCSC led by 10 points with 43 second left, but Rocky made things interesting by going on an 8-1 run to make it 87-84 with 17 seconds left. LCSC was able to hit free throws down the stretch to put it away.
 
"They have some scary shooters," Rinta said. "It was tough at the end when we were back on heels and trying not to foul. It wasn't pretty but we knocked down enough free throws. They just kept making shots."
 
Along with McDaniel, Zavon Jackson and Derrick White also played key roles as the Warriors put five players in double figures scoring. Jackson added 12 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while White added 11 points and five boards.
 
"Derrick was big for us tonight," Rinta said. "He had some big energy plays that ignited us. Zavon was big on the glass as well."
 
Isaiah Omamogho and Anthony Sullen added 10 points apiece.
 
For the game, LCSC was 27-of-59 from the field for 45.8 percent, but the Warriors did shoot 56.5 percent from the field in the second half. LCSC was 7-of-21 at the 3-point line, 33.3 percent, and finished 21-of-29 at the foul line.
 
Rocky Mountain was 37-of-76 from the field, 48.7 percent, and 6-of-22 from the 3-point line, 27.3 percent.
 
The Warriors return to action on Saturday when they play host to No. 9-ranked Montana Western. The game will start at an earlier time at 5:30 p.m.