BILLINGS, Mont. - Even with generously being listed at 6-foot-5, Lewis-Clark State College senior forward Zavon Jackson looks – and handles the basketball – more like a guard, even if he is the second-tallest player on the squad.

On Saturday night, however, he couldn't have stood taller.

Jackson scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to help the Warriors defeat Rocky Mountain College 77-71 to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Frontier Conference Tournament.

"That was the first time we have won here in six years and it couldn't have come at a better time," LCSC coach Brandon Rinta said. "That was a great team win but Zavon was huge tonight. He carries us for a lot of that game."

It was Jackson's sixth double-double of the season and also marked the sixth time in the last eight games he scored in double figures. Jackson entered Saturday's game averaging 9.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per outing. He topped those totals by halftime.

Rocky Mountain jumped out to a 33-21 lead with 5:42 remaining in the first half when Jackson went to work. He scored three baskets while Ty Higbee hit a 3-pointer to help the Warriors go on a 9-0 run and close the gap to 33-30. Higbie countered a RMC 3-pointer right before half to keep LCSC close at 36-33 entering the second half.

Jackson again immediately went to work again inside, using his quickness and athleticism to create space. He scored three straight buckets to put LCSC ahead 39-36 with 18:43 left. He then scored two more buckets, the latter gave LCSC the lead for good at 45-44.

The Warriors continued to build on the lead and pushed it up to eight at 57-49, but RMC rallied and had the margin down to 62-60. That's when Jackson hit a free throw and senior guard Isaiah Omamogho scored and hit a free throw for a three-point play for a 66-60 lead.

LCSC then hit 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.

Jackson finished 11-of-17 from the field and 5-of-7 at the foul line. He also tied for the team-high with three assists.

Doug McDaniel, the team's leading scorer this season, added 15 points, while Higbie added 12 points, and Omamogho had 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists.

"We did not shoot it well tonight but Ty and Isaiah came up with some big 3s in the second half," Rinta said.

The Warriors finished the game 26-of-60 from the field for 43.3 percent. They were 6-of-23 at the 3-point line, 26.1 percent, and 19-of-26 at the foul line, 73.1 percent. Rocky Mountain was 24-of-62 for 38.7 percent and 10-of-29 from the 3-point line, 34.5 percent.

"We defended really well in the second half," Rinta said. "Rocky is a potent offensive team. To be able to hold them to 36 percent (from the field) in the second half was big for us."

LCSC forced 17 turnovers in the game and committed only nine. That helped the Warriors to a 20-7 advantage in points off of turnovers. The Warriors also had a 34-16 advantage with points in the paint.

The win improves LCSC to 21-8 overall and 11-6 in conference play, while Rocky slips to 15-13 and 8-8.

With Carroll's win over Montana State-Northern on Saturday night, the Warriors clinched the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament and will play host to No. 6 seed Great Falls on Wednesday, March 1, at the LCSC Activity Center. MSU-Northern could still tie LCSC for third place, but the Warriors took two out of three from MSU-Northern during the regular season to earn the tiebreaking edge. Northern and Rocky will also face off in the first round, but the No. 4 seed is still up for grabs.

LCSC still has one regular-season game left and that's against league-leading Carroll. That contest will be next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the LCSC Activity Center. LCSC will honor its four seniors - Jackson, McDaniel, Omamogho, and Higbie – prior to the game. This season, LCSC is 0-2 against Carroll, which is battling Montana Western for the regular season title and No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.

In looking ahead to the conference tournament, LCSC swept all three games from Great Falls, winning a close one on the road, while claiming 22- and 32-point victories at home.