COLLEGE PLACE, Wash. – No. 19 LC State Men's Basketball opened the 2021-22 Cascade Conference season with a 95-73 victory over the Walla Walla University Wolves.  Kevin Baker put together another career night with 32 points, including an 11-for-16 performance from the floor.
 
"It was a good to start conference play off with a win on the road," Head Coach Austin Johnson said. "We didn't have our guys best stuff tonight, but the guys dug in and made plays down the stretch. We took great care of the basketball and that's a big part of winning on the road. We'll move forward and prep for two more road games this week."
 
Al Sommerfield gave LC an early lead with a pair of baskets in the first two minutes of the contest. WWU answered both shots and kept pace with the Warriors through the first seven minutes before a 3 by Kevin Baker put LC in front.
 
Walla Walla rallied to cut the margin to one at 17-16 midway through, but a layup by Sommerfield grew the advantage back out to three. The Wolves drained a 3 to tie the game 19-19 before a jumper by Baker put the Warriors in front by a slim margin. Foul shots by Khalil Stevenson made it a 23-19 game in favor of LC.
 
Bennion capitalized five free throws under the six-minute mark and Baker dropped six points to keep the offense rolling for LC State. Both teams went basket-for-basket down the stretch, but the Warriors maintained a small cushion. Stevenson drained a 3-pointer with 2:20 left in the half, and free throws by Sommerfield pushed the lead to 10 at 39-29.
 
With a last-second basket by Nathan Fromm, the Warriors led 45-31 at the break.
 
Baker and Sommerfield picked things up where they left off for LC in the first few minutes of the second half to give the Warriors a 52-34 lead. WWU crept within 10 before a 3 by Baker pushed the advantage back to 55-42 at 15:12. Sam Stockton found Teagen Hoard behind the arc as LC continued to build its lead.
 
Baker stayed hot for the Warriors, striking for five points in a 20-second span to push the advantage to 63-50 by 12:39. Stockton and Colton Spencer added to the total as LC State held a 70-53 lead at the midway point of the half.
 
Brennen Newsom made a pair of free throws and Stockton found the basket down the stretch en route to the Warriors' 95-73 victory.
 
Baker led all scorers with his career-high 32 points. He went 11-for-16 from the floor, 4-for-5 from 3-point range and 6-for-7 from the line. Sommerfield added 14 points and Bennion led the rebounding efforts with seven boards and dished six assists. Stevenson dropped 10 points
 
The Warriors head to Salem, Ore., this weekend for the Corban Classic. LC will face Portland Bible College on Friday and Ottawa (Ariz.) on Saturday, both at noon.
 
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