LEWISTON, Idaho – Lewis-Clark State Men's Basketball was back in the Activity Center on Wednesday evening for the first game of a two-game series against Yellowstone Christian. The No. 20 Warriors defeated the Centurions by a score of 102-68.
 
"A lot to be pleased with for our first game," Head Coach Austin Johnson said of his team. "It was great to play in front of our fans and they definitely provided some energy. I thought our ball movement and rebounding really stood out which is impressive with so many new guys. We'll quickly regroup and keep learning more about ourselves tomorrow."
 
Kevin Baker started the night off for the Warriors with 3 and Khalil Stevenson followed up shortly after with another shot from behind the arc to give the Warriors seven on the scoreboard. With the Warriors trialing 14-8, Al Sommerfield swung the momentum back to LC State with 10 straight Warrior points. His contributions brought energy to the court and put LC in front 18-17 with 11:06 to go in the half.
 
Stockton continued the run with a layup before assisting Silas Bennion on a 3. With 5:58 on the clock, Colton Spencer stepped up for a 3, with an assist from Stockton, to extend the margin to 33-12. Baker and Nathan Fromm were active in the paint within the final minutes, and Stevenson closed out the half with a layup to give the Warriors a 45-30 advantage heading into the locker room.
 
Baker started the second half with a pair of free throws. Sommerfield continued to bring energy to the floor with a layup off an assist from Fromm. The Warriors went on a 9-2 scoring run with points from Fromm, Bennion, Stockton, Baker and Stevenson to extend the lead to 60-37 with 16:13 left. The Warriors maintained their near 20-point lead before a six-point stretch, sparked by a 3-pointer from Fromm, pushed the advantage to 89-59 at 6:31.
 
With 4:36 to go, the Warriors reset the court with the fresh faces of Kalani Sapwell, Joel Meske, Will Abram, and Grant Ellison. A steal by Ellison with 2:57 left, followed by a pair of free throws from Teagen Hoard, gave LC some fuel in the final minutes. Hoard went back to the line shortly after and closed the game out with another pair of foul shots to end the game with victory by a 34-point margin.
 
Baker lead the team with 15 points, Bennion and Sommerfield each tallied 12, Stevenson added 11 and Hoard scored 10. Sommerfield was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and 2-for-2 from 3. Stockton dished out four assists, and Oreon Courtney added nine rebounds to contribute to the team's win.
 
The Warriors return to the Activity Center on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. when they face the Centurions.
 
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