Men's Basketball | 03.05.2020
LEWISTON, Idaho – The final Frontier Conference Tournament for No. 7 Lewis-Clark State Men's Basketball is set to begin on Friday when the Warriors host Montana-State Northern at 7 p.m. The fifth-seeded Lights upset the fourth-seeded Montana Tech Orediggers in Tuesday's quarterfinal to advance to play in Lewiston.
FRONTIER CONFERENCE STANDINGS
|
Team |
Frontier Conference |
Overall |
| 1. |
No. 18 Carroll College |
13-5 |
21-9 |
| 2. |
No. 16 Montana Western |
12-6 |
19-10 |
| 3. |
No. 21 Lewis-Clark State |
11-7 |
19-9 |
| 4. |
No. 24 Rocky Mountain |
10-8 |
19-10 |
| 5. |
Providence |
9-9 |
18-12 |
| 6. |
Montana Tech |
4-14 |
14-16 |
| 7. |
Montana-State Northern |
4-14 |
15-15 |
THE WARRIORS (27-3, 15-3) – No. 1 Seed
The Warriors are coming off the best regular-season in program history. LC State tied the school record for wins in a regular season and clinched the fifth Frontier Conference regular-season title in the last eight year. The team's second-straight title was clinched outright with the win at Rocky Mountain last week.
Damek Mitchell has been a driving force behind both the LC State defense and offense, leading the team in points per game (13.3), 3-point field goal percentage (49.3), assists (199) and steals (35). Mitchell joined the program's 1,000-Point Club in the final regular-season game, and set the single-season assist record the previous game. He now has 199 assists on the season. Mitchell was also named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List, with the award going to the top player in small college basketball. He ranks fourth in NAIA DI in total assists, assists per game (6.86) and 3-point field goal percentage.
Travis Yenor has been on a hot streak and is the reigning Frontier Conference Player of the Week. Yenor totaled 29 points and nine rebounds in the championship-clinching victory over Rocky Mountain last week, and followed that up with a 22-point performance in the regular-season finale. He also leads the Warriors in free throw percentage (.857). Josiah Westbrook ranks eighth in NAIA DI in 3-point field goal percentage (.477) and was selected to participate in the NAIA All-Star Game. Jake Albright is the leading rebounder for LC State, averaging 607 per game. He also leads the Warriors in field goal percentage (67.3).
The Warriors lead NAIA DI in 3-point field goal percentage (.430), and are second in 3-pointers made (343), assist/turnover ratio (1.54), 3-pointers made per game (11.43) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.301). They are also in the top five in scoring margin (21.0) and scoring defense per game (64.2).
THE LIGHTS (20-11, 9-9) – No. 5 Seed
The fifth-seeded Montana-State Northern Lights upset the four seed, Montana Tech, 66-59 on Tuesday to advance to the Frontier Conference Semifinal. David Harris led the Lights with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Adam Huse added 14 points.
Kavon Bey leads MSUN in scoring, averaging 13.8 points per game. Mascio McCadney is not far behind with 13.7 points per game. McCadney is eighth in NAIA DI in assist/turnover ratio (2.94). Adam Huse leads the team from the 3-point line, shooting 48.7 percent from behind the arc. His 3-point percentage ranks sixth in NAIA DI, and his assist/turnover ratio is 10th (2.80).
Jesse Keltner is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 5.9 per game. Cedric Crutchfield is averaging 5.6 per game while also leading the Lights with 38 blocks.
The Lights lead NAIA DI in assist/turnover ratio (1.60), and are third in scoring defense per game (63.53). They rank in the nation's top 10 in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.305) and total rebound defense (31.07).
DETAILS
The Warriors will host the semifinal matchup on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Activity Center. Ticket information can be found at lcwarriors.com/tickets or by calling (208)792-2471. Season passes, both general admission and reserved seating, are not valid for the tournament. Warrior Cards are also not accepted.
The winner of Friday's contest will move on to the Frontier Conference Championship on Monday. Should the Warriors win, the championship will be hosted in the Activity Center.
