LEWISTON, Idaho – Senior Dana Abe scored a season-high 31 points to help Lewis-Clark State College past Rocky Mountain College 72-55 in a key Frontier Conference and NAIA Top 25 matchup at the LCSC Activity Center on Thursday night.
 
Abe, a 6-foot-4 guard/forward from Seattle, hit 12-of-18 shots from the field and 7-of-8 free throws. He also fell one rebound short of his first double-double as he grabbed a season-high nine boards.
 
Abe, who leads the Warriors in scoring with an average of 15 points per game, has scored in double figures in all but two games he's played in this season.
 
Abe's effort helped the Warriors take over sole possession of second place in the conference standings. LCSC, ranked No. 18 in the NAIA, is now 19-6 overall and 8-5 in league play, while Rocky Mountain, ranked No. 22, is 16-9 overall and in a three-way tie for third at 7-6.
 
"Dana is playing through a lot right now," LCSC coach Austin Johnson said, alluding to some personal family issues for Abe. "He's in a great mind frame to help his teammates. And he was special tonight as you can see with 31 and 9. He is playing with a heavy heart, but he is playing his best ball right now, which is what we need."
 
The Warriors needed Abe's hot hand because the outside game wasn't there. LCSC missed its first 16 3-point attempts and finished 1-of-21 from the 3-point line. Inside the arc, the Warriors were 27-of-49 from the field, 55 percent.
 
"We were 1-of-21 from 3 and we found a way to win," Johnson said. "We were good enough defensively. We defended at a really high level from the 3 and inside the paint we did a good job of making (Jared) Samuelson work. He is the preseason Player of the Year and he was just 3-of-10 on the night."
 
The Warriors' man defense held RMC in check. The Bears were 21-of-70 from the field for 30 percent and 5-of-29 from the 3-point line, 17.2 percent.
 
LCSC took the lead for good on when Abe scored his sixth straight point early in the game for an 8-6 advantage. LCSC led by as much as 11 in the first half before it settled for a 35-29 halftime lead.
 
In the second half, LC tried to break away but Rocky cut the margin to six again at 50-44 with just less than nine minutes remaining. The Warriors then went on an 11-2 run over the next five minutes with Abe scoring six points. Rocky couldn't get closer than 10 the rest of the way.
 
"I'm proud of our guys for earning a tough win against a good team," Johnson said.
 
Damek Mitchell added 11 points and a team-high seven assists for LCSC, while Cordel Hankerson added 10. Derek White continued his strong play with six points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
 
Samuelson led Rocky with 12 points, while Craig Wilmore and Clayton Ladine added 10 each.

The Warriors face another key contest on Saturday when league-leading Carroll College, 10-3 in league and 21-4 overall, visits. Tipoff will be at 4 p.m. and it will be Senior Day for the Warriors' final regular-season home contest. The Warriors will honor their seven seniors prior to the game.