KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The No. 7 Lewis-Clark State men's basketball team saw its historic run come to an end on Monday with a 66-55 loss to No. 11 Carroll College. With a 30-7 record to cap the season, the Warriors became the first LC men's basketball team to make it past the Second Round, let alone the National Semifinal. Over the course of the season, the 2018-19 Warriors etched their name in the LC record books as one of the top teams in program history.
In his first year at the helm, Austin Johnson solidified the Warriors' position as a national-contender.
"I am super proud of this group of guys," Johnson said. "All year long they answered every challenge thrown at them."
Trystan Bradley won the tip for the Warriors but it was the Saints that struck first. Match Burnham made two foul shots to give Carroll a quick 2-0 lead. Bradley put the Warriors on the board at 17:51 to bring the score to 4-2. This is how the score would remain for over three minutes.
Derrick White tied the contest at 14:37 with a layup, but a foul sent Carroll back to the line to regain the lead at 6-4 20 seconds later. Race Martin made it even again before Damek Mitchell drained a pair of free throws to put LC in front 8-6. The Saints answered to take a 10-8 lead midway through the first half.
Carroll grew their lead to 20-8 with 7:24 with a 12-point run before a free throw from White and a dunk by Cordel Hankerson got the Warriors back in the game.
The Saints bounced right back and went on another strong run. At the half Carroll led 31-21.
The first two minutes of the second half passed without a basket. Bradley and White went back-to-back to cut the deficit to 31-25 at 17:11. Burnham opened the scoring for Carroll in the second half with a pair of free throws before draining a 3. Hankerson responded quickly with his own 3 to keep LC within eight at 36-28 with 15:53 to play.
Andre McCowan went back-to-back to keep the Warriors within striking distance. Cory Dollarhide added to the cause with a 3-pointer at 8:34 to cut the deficit to 49-44. Bradley grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled. He hit both shots to bring LC within three with seven minutes in the half.
Carroll pushed the lead back to seven and continued to control the tempo of the game. By the end of the final 20 minutes, the Fighting Saints led 66-55 to earn their spot in the National Title game.
McCowan, who placed second in the slam dunk contest on Saturday, led the Warriors with 10 points. Bradley, Mitchell and Martin each collected eight. Abe grabbed six rebounds.
The Warriors return home as National Semifinalists for the first time in program history.
This season, the Warriors set a program-record with 1.167 field goals made and 3.123 points scored. Their 30 wins are the second-best in program history, as is the 14-game winning streak that fell tonight. The .811 winning percentage ranks in the top-five along with the 86.7 scoring average, 822 3-point field goals made and .747 free throw percentage.
Mitchell set the single-season record with 191 assists, and White set the program record for wins with 105.
Though the season came to a close just short of the Title, this season signifies a new era of Warrior basketball. They lose seven seniors, but the Warriors will return a strong core of young talent that gained experience in the National Tournament. The seven seniors have set the stage for Warrior teams to come.
"I'm so appreciative of all seven seniors for buying in and setting the atmosphere of who we wanted to be. These players set a new standard for LC State basketball," Johnson said. "I'm lucky to have coached them and am a better person for having each one of them in my life."
