OLYMPIA, Wash. – LC State improved to 3-0 in Cascade Conference play on Saturday with a 69-53 victory over Evergreen State College.
Alton Hamilton recorded his fifth 20-point game of the season with a contest-leading 26.
"Another gritty win for our guys," Head Coach
Austin Johnson said. "We struggled offensively but our defense carried us down the stretch to give us some separation.
John Lustig was super impressive defensively. Alton and Grayson (Hunt) were a great 1-2 punch inside.
Gorden Boykins continues to be a presence off the bench for us. The encouraging thing is we know we can still play better which is what we're chasing after."
LC State is now 7-1 on the season and 3-0 in Cascade Conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Grayson Hunt had the hot hand to start the contest for LC State with the first four points of the game. Buckets by
Alton Hamilton, Hunt and
John Lustig fueled a six-point run for a 10-3 lead at 14:00, and Lustig made it 12-7 two minutes later.
A 3-pointer by
MaCarhy Morris got the offense rolling, and a triple by
Gorden Boykins at 7:08 sparked a run of eight, aided by a 3 from Hamilton and layup by Lustig, to give the Warriors a 27-16 lead by 5:37. LC State held TESC off the board for nearly five minutes ahead of a late five-point surge by the Geoducks, but four free throws by Hamilton grew the Warrior cushion back to 10 points, 31-21, with a minute to play in the half.
LC State carried a 31-25 lead into the break.
Foul shots for Evergreen State cut the Warrior advantage to 33-29 after the first minute of the second half and tallies by Morris, Hamilton and Hunt kept LC State in front 41-35 at 15:46. Free throws by Hamilton and
Taden King pushed the score to 44-37 by 12:45, but TESC kept the pressure up to pull within four, 46-42, with 11:37 on the clock.
A layup by Hamilton and eight straight points by King combined for a 10-point run that gave LC State a commanding 58-44 lead by 7:14. Lustig added two free throws and Morris dropped in a layup before a dunk by Hamilton made it 64-50 with just under five minutes to go.
Baskets by Hamilton and Lustig capped the 69-53 victory.
STAT RECAP
Hamilton led the contest with 26 points, two off his career high, on a 9-for-15 night from the field and 7-for-9 performance at the free throw line. He also led the Warriors with seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Lustig and Hunt each tallied 10 points and Lustig led LC State with four assists. Hunt shot 5-for-6 from the field.
The Warriors shot .448 from the field and drained 13 free throws. The LC State defense held the Geoducks to .298 from the field.
UP NEXT
The Warriors continue the road trip next week against Walla Walla (Wash.) in College Place, Wash., on Dec. 12.
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.
