LEWISTON, Idaho – The No. 10 Warrior women earned a 69-63 exhibition victory over NCAA Division III Whitman on Thursday to close out the 2025 home schedule. Though the win is not reflected in the season record, LC State was able to use the contest to gain experience against a high-caliber team.
Sitara Byrd had a standout game with 23 points and seven rebounds, while freshman
Madalyn Green had a game-high four assists.
"Great win tonight for our team," coach
Caelyn Orlandi said. "We had players make plays all game long and I have positive things to say about all the players that came on the court tonight. I was so very proud of
Madalyn Green tonight. She ran the floor so hard and led our team in assists. She made on time and on target passes during the game and did a good job of being a presence in our zone.
Sitara Byrd was excellent tonight and scored the ball so efficiently. She rebounded very well too."
The LC State record remains 7-3 overall and 1-1 in Cascade Conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Baskets by
Lindsey Wilson,
Payton Hymas and Byrd had LC State out to an 11-6 lead through the first five minutes of play, and tallies by Byrd,
Kendall Wallace and
Ellee Brockman had the Warrior lead at 17-10 to end the first frame.
Wallace scored five straight points to open the second quarter before
Ella Nelson and Wilson combined for a run of six points for a 28-16 advantage at the 4:59 mark. Baskets by Hymas, Byrd and Wilson close out the first half with LC State ahead 36-27.
Whitman opened the third quarter on a 13-4 run to tie the game 40-40 at 5:55. Baskets by Byrd and a 3-pointer by Wallace helped LC State maintain a slim edge and a layup by Brockman had the Warriors in front 53-50 with 10 minutes to play.
The Blues took their first lead of the contest at 6:22 in the fourth frame, but the Warriors regained momentum when a layup by
Camden Barger sparked a run of seven that was fueled by Nelson and Byrd to pull ahead 62-56. Free throws by
Tatum Brager and Hymas sealed the win in the final minutes.
STAT RECAP
Byrd led the contest with 23 points on an 11-for-14 night from the field. She grabbed seven rebounds. Hymas scored 12 points and was 6-for-6 from the foul line, while Wilson and Wallace each tallied 10 points. The pair went 9-for-15 combined from the floor.
Freshman Green dished out four assists and Barger had three. Byrd, Brockman and Barger each grabbed two steals.
The Warriors shot 52.7% from the field.
The stats from tonight's contest do not count toward season or career stats.
UP NEXT
The Warriors return to Cascade Conference play next week with trips to Walla Walla (Wash.) on Dec. 16 and Warner Pacific (Ore.) on Dec. 20.
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.
