ASHLAND, Ore. - Despite a strong comeback in the final 10 minutes of the game, the Warriors suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the No. 12 (NAIA DII) Southern Oregon Raiders. The Warriors did not go down easily, fighting back from a 10-point deficit, but the hot three-point shooting of the Raiders could not be overcome and LC fell 74-72.
Hailey Turner led the Warriors out of the gate with five-straight points. The senior nailed a three to begin the game with an assist from Cali Moscrip, then drained two free throws to put LC up 5-0 less than two minutes in. The Raiders responded with a single point that was quickly erased by a jumper from Kiara Burlage. The Warriors were held off the board for almost four minutes before Jamie Nielson and Jossilyn Blackman combined for back-to-back layups to give LC a 9-5 advantage with 1:38 remaining in the first quarter. Peyton Souvenir found Blackman with a behind-the-back pass in the final 45 seconds of the period and the Warriors closed the opening frame with a 13-9 lead.
Turner opened the second quarter with a layup to increase the Warrior's lead to 15-9. Back-to-back threes by the Raiders put Southern Oregon in front 17-15 with 8:22 to play in the half, and the barrage of triples continued with four more before the end of the quarter and the Raiders took a 32-24 lead into halftime.
The Warriors came out of the break seeming refreshed, striking for seven-straight points to cut their deficit to 34-31 less than two minutes in. Blackman and Abbie Johnson each contributed two to the run and Hannah Burland added a three-pointer. Trailing 44-35, Turner went drained four free throws to keep the Warriors in the came before Souvenir hit a long three to make it a five-point game to cap a 5-0 run at 3:32. A Turner jumper followed by a pair of free throws from Burlage brought LC within two. Johnson dropped in a layup as the quarter came to a close and the Warriors trailed 55-51 heading into the final frame.
Trailing by as much as 10 points in the final quarter, the Warriors battled back to nearly overtake the Raiders. Moscrip kept the game close with two three-pointers in the final four minutes and a jumper from Johnson after a steal by Moscrip had LC down 71-69 with under three to play. Moscrip evened the contest 71-71 with a layup at the 2:11 mark. A final three pointer by the Raiders gave Southern Oregon the boost they needed to take the game by a final of 74-72.
"It was one of those games where we struggled to put the ball in the hole," Head Coach Brian Orr said. "We had a tough time finishing inside, couldn't get into any rhythm from deep and we missed some key free throws. You have to give SOU a lot of credit, they got after it defensively and we rushed several shots."
"At the same time, we had great effort the entire game. We didn't give up and had several chances to win or tie the game at the end," Orr said. "We learned a lot and this was the kind of experience that will help prepare us for conference play."
The Raiders made 12 three-pointers in the contest, compared to the Warriors' seven. LC did win the battle at the line, shooting 70.4 percent (19-27). The Warriors out-rebounded Southern Oregon 57-46.
Johnson led the Warriors' scoring efforts with 14 points to tie a career-best, while Burlage and Turner eached chipped in 13. Johnson completed her first-career double-double with a career-high 11 rebounds while also tallying three assists and three blocks. Blackman led LC with 12 boards.
The Warriors continue their road trip tomorrow in their fourth-straight matchup with a Cascade Conference opponent when they take on Oregon Tech at 1 p.m.
