WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

The No. 7 Warrior women open the road portion of their Cascade Conference schedule with a trip to Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho. With both contests dealing with rivalries, LC State has a tough weekend ahead. The Warriors enter the weekend with a 9-2 overall record and 5-1 in CCC play.

“This weekend starts a tough month of basketball,” Head Coach Caelyn Orlandi said. “Winning on the road requires extreme toughness and we will be on the road three out of the four weekends in January. Our leadership has to be excellent and our play will need to be deliberate and focused. College of Idaho is tougher than their record holds and Eastern Oregon is a team I believe that will continually improve all season long. Eastern Oregon has tough rebounders and excellent shooters. College of Idaho is a team that is capable of knocking down the 3-ball and is a team that battled with a tough Carroll College team. We look forward to our January challenge and growing as a team.”

Friday’s contest at EOU is a rematch of last season’s CCC title game which the Mountaineers took in La Grande. LC State is 7-6 against EOU dating back to 2006 and the two programs have been evenly matched in recent years. The record is tied 3-3 since LC State joined the CCC in the 2020-21 season. The Mounties took two of three meetings last season, including one in overtime. Ellie Sander led LC with 19 points in the lone victory and Maddie Holm grabbed 10 boards. EOU sits at 7-3 overall and 3-3 in CCC play. Beverly Slater is second in the conference in rebounding (10.4) and Bayley Brennan is second in 3-pointers made per game (2.8).

The Warriors are 15-0 against the Yotes of the College of Idaho dating back to 2007. In last season’s meeting in Caldwell, LC State edged C of I 61-58 with 14 points from Callie Stevens and 10 points and seven rebounds by Sander. The in-state rivals will play each other for the 10th time as conference foes on Saturday. C of I enters with the weekend with a 2-10 record and 2-4 in CCC play. The Yotes’ Mia Austin ranks third in 3-pointers made per game in the CCC at 2.6.

LC State leads the CCC in steals per game (11.8) and assist/turnover ratio (1.3). Holm is fourth in rebounding (9.7). Sitara Byrd is fourth in the CCC in field goal percentage (.523), Sander is fifth (.505), Stevens is sixth (.482) and Darian Herring ranks seventh (.480). Sander is fourth in the conference in assists per game (3.7), fourth in 3-point percentage (.392) and seventh in steals per game (2.3). Stevens sits fourth in 3-pointers made per contest (2.4) and Herring is second in blocks per game (1.7).

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Warrior Men’s Basketball enters 2024 as the lone undefeated team in Cascade Conference play with a 6-0 record (8-4 overall). LC State will face a tough test with Eastern Oregon on Friday and defending NAIA National Champion No. 5 College of Idaho on Saturday.

“We are excited to start the new year on the road together against EOU and C of I,” Head Coach Austin Johnson said. “Both teams are well coached and pose different challenges. They are tough road environments to play well at so we will need to be connected and locked in.”

LC State is 4-5 against EOU (3-9, 2-4) dating back to 2008 and has won four of the last five meetings. Davian Brown scored 24 points to help lead the Warriors past the Mountaineers by a final of 86-79 last season in La Grande, and John Lustig added 21. The pair combined to go 8-for-8 from 3-point range with seven field goals and four assists each. EOU’s Garrett Hawkes is third in the CCC in scoring average (16.9) and Malachi Afework leads the Cascade in free throw percentage (.907).

The Yotes sit just behind LC State in the CCC standings with a 5-1 record (10-2 overall). The series dating back to 2002 is tied 8-8 with College of Idaho taking the last four meetings. The Yotes defeated LC State 74-63 last season in Caldwell despite 17 points from Grayson Hunt and 14 from Lustig. C of I leads the conference in field goal percentage defense (.408), rebounding (42.4), rebounding margin (8.3) and steals per game (8.0). Straton Rogers leads the CCC in field goal percentage (.650) and Samaje Morgan is fourth in assists per game (3.4).

The Warriors are the top team in the CCC in scoring margin (11.8), rebounding defense (33.2). Anthony Peoples Jr. is fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (.587) and Alton Hamilton is fifth (.577).

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