Men's Basketball | 02.17.2021

LEWISTON, Idaho – The second season begins Thursday night for the Lewis-Clark State College Men's Basketball team when it kicks off its best-of-3 series with the College of Idaho to determine the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament champion and an automatic berth to the NAIA national tournament. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the LC Activity Center.
 
THE WARRIORS (14-1) – No. 1 seed
The Warriors earned the top seed for the playoffs by being higher ranked than College of Idaho in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll.  LC State is ranked fourth in the poll, while the Coyotes are unranked.
 
"We are excited for the upcoming matchup with C of I in the CCC Tournament," Warrior Head Coach Austin Johnson said. "Despite all the unpredictability going on our guys have done a tremendous job of staying focused and together and that has led to success on the court. While it's disappointing to not have family, friends or our great community in the stands for these games ultimately we are very grateful to have the opportunity to compete again and look forward to the road ahead together."
 
The Warriors were scheduled to play College of Idaho twice during the regular season but both games were cancelled because of COVID-19 issues.  The two did have three common opponents during the regular season. LC State went 5-0 against common opponents, while College of Idaho was 5-1.
 
"C of I is a great team with a lot of dynamic players," Johnson said. "They will also be the best rebounding team we will have faced all season which has been a constant challenge for us. We will need to take care of the basketball and keep them off the glass if we want to put ourselves in a position to have success."
 
The Warriors rank in the NAIA Top 10 in three defensive categories, including fourth in both field goal percentage defense (37.8 percent) and defensive rebounds per game (32.5). Overall, LC is sixth in fewest points allowed at 64.3 points per game.
LC State features a balanced attack on offense, with eight players scoring at least seven points a game. Trystan Bradley leads the team in scoring at 16.7 points and is second on the team in rebounds at 6.4 per outing.
 
Damek Mitchell is averaging 14.2 points per game and became the program's all-time leader in 3-pointers earlier this season. He leads the team with 38 3-pointers and is shooting 43.2 percent from the arc. He's also the team leader in assists with 72. Mitchell is tied for second in steals on the team with 15 and is third in rebounding at 5.5 per game.
 
Hodges Bailey is at 11.9 points per game and is shooting a team-best 49.2 percent from the 3-point line, which ranks No. 20 in the NAIA. He is second in 3-pointers with 32 and leads the team with an 81.4 free-throw percentage.
 
Freshman Oreon Courtney is at 8.5 points per game and is shooting a team-leading 72.5 percent from the field.  As a team, the Warriors are hitting 50.6 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from the 3-point line.
 
THE YOTES (7-7) – No. 2 seed
College of Idaho's record is deceiving as it counted all of its games against NCAA Division 1 opponents. College of Idaho lost to Boise State, Utah State, Eastern Washington, Portland and Seattle this season and finished 5-2 against NAIA competition.
 
College of Idaho has a 48-37 all-time record against LC State and is making its 23rd straight appearance in the postseason. The Coyotes have a nine-game win streak in the conference tournament and the program has made fourth straight trips to the NAIA Division II national tournament. This year, the NAIA moved to one division for basketball.
 
Former Warrior Connor Desaulniers ranks ninth in C of I program history in blocked shots (84) and is No. 23 in rebounds (514).
 
Jalen Galloway leads the team in scoring at 15.3 points per game and is one of three players averaging in double figures. Ricardo Time is at 13.7 points, while Jake O'Neil is at 10.8 points to go along with his team-best 8.2 rebounds per game.
 
As a team, College of Idaho ranks seventh in the NAIA in offensive rebounds per game at 14.1 and is No. 21 in total rebounds at 41.4 per outing.
 
DETAILS
Cascade Collegiate Conference protocols do not allow fans to attend conference events or tournaments. Fans can watch the games on livestream by visiting www.lcwarriors.com/watch. The cost to watch a game is $9.99 because it's the conference tournament.
 
Game 2 of the series will be held at 4 p.m. PT on Sunday in Caldwell. If the two split the first two games, a coin flip will be held to determine the host team for Game 3, which will be played on Feb. 27.
 
The NAIA will announce the 48 teams for the national tournament and opening-round pairings and sites on March 4. Because of its current ranking, LC would get an at-large berth to nationals if it doesn't win the best-of-3 series.