WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

No. 13 LC State Women’s Basketball completed a dominant weekend in the P1FCU Activity Center with victories over Bushnell (Ore.) and Corban (Ore.) highlighted by Darian Herring’s triple-double on Saturday. The Warriors (14-2, 8-2) face their biggest conference test yet this weekend with a trip south to No. 4 Southern Oregon (15-0, 9-0) and Oregon Tech (12-3, 8-1).

SOU is the top team in the Cascade Conference this season and is undefeated going into the weekend. LC State is 8-6 against the Raiders dating back to 2012 but has lost the two most recent meetings, including a matchup in last year’s CCC title game. The Raiders edged the Warriors 59-53 in the postseason and 69-58 in the regular season, both in Ashland, but LC State took the meeting in Lewiston by a score of 68-42. 

The Raiders lead the CCC in scoring offense (79.6), scoring defense (53.0), scoring margin (26.6), field goal percentage defense (.333), 3-point field goal percentage (.384) and assist/turnover ratio (1.4). SOU’s Morgan Baird is third in the conference in scoring (14.5) and leads in field goal percentage (.606). Bridgette McIntyre is second in 3-point field goal percentage (.468) and leads in 3-pointers made per game (2.9).

SOU is third in the NAIA in scoring defense and eighth in field goal percentage defense.

Oregon Tech is second in the conference standings with a half-game lead on LC State. The Warriors are 8-2 against the Owls since 2004 and defeated OIT in the CCC playoffs last season in Klamath Falls. Sitara Byrd scored 24 points with 10 rebounds in the contest and Ellie Sander added 14 points.

OIT leads the Cascade in rebounding (45.3), rebounding margin (11.1) and assists per game (18.1). Gabbie Gascon leads the conference in assists per game (4.4) and is second in steals per game (2.9)

LC State is the top CCC team in field goal percentage (.481), rebounding defense (33.5), blocked shots per game (5.0), steals per game (13.7) and turnover margin (8.88). Darian Herring leads the conference in total assists (69) and blocks (49), and Byrd leads in steals per game (2.9). Sander is third in steals per game (2.8). Mataya Green is second in field goal percentage (.602), Herring is fourth (.549) and Sander is fifth (.521).

The Warriors are fourth in the NAIA in field goal percentage, sixth in blocks per game and 11th in steals per game. 

MEN'S BASKETBALL

The No. 15 LC State split last weekend at home with a loss to Bushnell (Ore.) and dominant victory over Corban (Ore.) in the CCC Game of the Week. The Warriors travel to Oregon this weekend for big matchups with Southern Oregon (9-6, 4-5) and Oregon Tech (12-3, 8-1). 

LC State is 8-6 against SOU since 2007 and won both contests last season. Alton Hamilton scored 13 points in Ashland last season and John Lustig grabbed six rebounds. Lustig led the team with 15 points in the win in Lewiston, Gorden Boykins added 11 and Hamilton tallied 12 with nine rebounds.

SOU leads the Cascade in 3-point field goal percentage (.356), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.271) and rebounding defense (29.5). Jacob Axmaker leads the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.526) and Bryce Dyer is third in rebounding (9.0).

Oregon Tech sits a half-game in front of LC State in the CCC standings and defeated the Warriors in the CCC tournament last season. LC State is 6-3 overall against OIT since 2003, but the Owls edged the Warriors 82-80 before upsetting College of Idaho in the CCC title game. Lustig scored 15 points in the contest. In the last meeting in Klamath Falls, LC State won 97-84 with 18 points and eight rebounds from Hamilton, 14 points from Lustig and 10 from Boykins.

Oregon Tech leads the CCC in field goal percentage (.509) and is second in scoring offense (84.9), scoring margin (11.1), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.291), rebounding (39.0), rebounding defense (30.7) and assists per game (15.5). Blake Jensen leads the conference in field goal percentage (.678) and Jamison Guerra leads in assists per game (6.1).

LC State is second in the conference in field goal percentage (.497) and blocked shots per game (3.2). Hamilton is second in the CCC in scoring (17.7) and leads in rebounding (9.3). He is second in blocked shots per game (1.0).

MEN'S TENNIS

The Warrior men kick off the spring portion of their schedule on Saturday with a matchup in Moscow against NCAA Division I Idaho at 9 a.m. LC State split its season-opening series against Alberta back in October for a 1-1 record heading into the spring. 

A full preview of the season will be available later this week.