LEWISTON, Idaho – LC State Men's Basketball celebrated Senior Day with a thrilling 84-79 victory over Southern Oregon in the P1FCU Activity Center on Saturday. The Warriors celebrated seniors
Taden King and
Gorden Boykins prior to the contest in front of 883 fans.
The game was tied 38-38 at the half, but big a night from
Alton Hamilton,
John Lustig and
Dylan Skaife helped the Warriors overcome the Raiders to secure at least one round of the Cascade Conference tournament at home for the LC State men. The Warriors will host a CCC quarterfinal on Feb. 25 in the P1FCU Activity Center.
"Super impressed with our guys and how the responded on the second night of a tough back-to-back," coach
Austin Johnson said. "Fatigue was definitely a factor at times, but our guys exhibited some incredible toughness down the stretch. Alton and John once again played at an all-league level. Dylan really stepped up as a true freshman at big time moments. Gorden and Taden helped keep us steady and really finished off their senior night well. These were important wins, but we know they make next weekend's games even more pressure packed. Excited to keep coaching these guys."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Warriors jumped in front early with baskets by Hamilton, Lustig and
MaCarhy Morris to pull ahead 10-4 after three minutes. King hit a 3, but SOU answered to tie the game 13-13 at 13:24. King added another triple and Boykins and Hamilton went back-to-back for a 20-16 edge at 11:26.
Two straight 3s by Skaife put the Warriors in front 28-21 by 8:32, but the Raiders surged to gain a 33-32 lead by 4:22. The teams traded baskets and a jumper by Skaife with six seconds left in the half tied the score 38-38.
The back-and-forth continued into the second half with the Raiders pulling ahead 58-47 by 13:40. Boykins took a rebound back for a basket to start the comeback. The bucket sparked a 10-point run and was capped by a triple by
Kasen Carpenter to cut the margin to one, 58-57, midway through the half.
SOU grew its lead back to six, but five straight points from Skaife kept the score within one, 65-64, with 7:31 on the clock. A triple by the true freshman at 5:35 put the Warriors in front for good.
Lustig added a pair of layups before Boykins added another to make it 75-70 at 2:59. SOU brought it back within two, but four points combined from Hamilton and Boykins made it a six-point game, 79-73, in the final minute. Lustig went to the line for four foul shots and Hamilton ended the night with a free throw.
STAT RECAP
Hamilton led the contest with 22 points and 12 rebounds. He was 10-for-18 from the field. Lustig added 20 points with four assists and Skaife scored a career-high 18 points with four 3-pointers. He was 7-for-9 from the field.
The Warriors shot 54.8% from the floor and 43.8% from 3-point range. A big factor in the contes were free throws, with LC State making nine. SOU went to the line for only four free throws total and made just two.
Bryce Dyer led the Raiders with 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Elijah Jackson scored 20 points.
UP NEXT
The Warriors wrap up the regular season next weekend on the road against Bushnell (Ore.) and Corban (Ore.).
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.
