| LEWISTON, Idaho – The journey through the postseason begins on Wednesday for LC State Men’s Basketball with the quarterfinal round of the Cascade Conference Men’s Basketball Championship, presented by U.S. Bank. Second-seeded Lewis-Clark State will host seventh-seeded Eastern Oregon in the P1FCU Activity Center at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at lcwarriors.com/tickets.
“After a really tough road trip our guys are happy to get back home and play Wednesday,” Head Coach Austin Johnson said. “This group has really come together and has an identity of toughness and togetherness. We face a high-level offensive team in EOU. They have guys who can score at different spots and have proven they can beat anyone in league. It will take a really focused and inspired effort for us to be successful. We are excited for the challenge.”
The Warrior took both meetings against EOU in very different games this season. LC State battled back from a 14-point deficit to force overtime in January’s 77-75 victory in La Grande, then rolled past the Mountaineers 84-66 at home in early February.
General admission tickets, reserved seats and streaming passes are on sale now at lcwarriors.com. Season passes (including streaming passes) are not valid for postseason events. Tickets to the game can be purchased online or at the LC State Ticket Office.
No. 2 Seed – LC State Warriors (21-7, 19-3)
The Warriors are carrying a lot of momentum into Wednesday’s matchup with a five-game winning streak including two key victories to close out the regular season. LC State upset No. 16 Oregon Tech in Klamath Falls to clinch the No. 2 seed in the tournament before defeating Southern Oregon in the finale. The Warriors are the lone CCC team to sweep the OIT/SOU road trip this season.
LC State is 6-5 against Eastern Oregon since 2008. The Warriors have won the last three matchups heading into the CCC tournament thanks to big performances from senior Jaedon Bradley and freshman Alton Hamilton. Bradley scored 25 points in the overtime win and Hamilton tallied a career-high 18 in the victory at home. The two teams battled evenly in La Grande but a 59.3% field goal percentage propelled LC State to a commanding win at home.
The Warriors are second in the Cascade Conference in scoring margin (11.1), free throw percentage (.740) and blocked shots per game (3.6).
Quentin Raynor leads the CCC in 3-pointers made per game (2.7) and is fourth in assist/turnover ratio (3.0). Davian Brown is fifth in free throw percentage (.873), Sam Stockton is fourth in steals per game (1.4) and Bradley is fourth in 3-pointers made per game (2.5). Hamilton ranks fifth in offensive rebounds per game (2.5).
Bradley has led the Warriors all year in scoring and ranks 10th in the conference with 14.7 points per game. He posted back-to-back 19-point games over the weekend to earn CCC Player of the Week honors. The combination of Bradley, Brown and Raynor has combined for nearly 80% of the team’s 3-pointers made with 182. Bradley leads the pack with 71 on a .425 percentage, Raynor has made 69 at .421 and Brown has 42 on a clip of .318.
Stockton has been a consistent force across the stat sheet and leads the team in assists (76), steals (38) and blocked shots (22). He also leads the Warriors in field goal percentage (.584). Freshman Hamilton has had an impressive first-year campaign with a team-best 6.4 rebounds per game and a .553 field goal percentage.
No. 7 Seed – Eastern Oregon Mountaineers (12-16, 11-11)
College of Idaho earned the No. 7 seed in the CCC tournament after a slow start to the season. The Mounties got off to a 1-7 start against a tough schedule, but defeated Carroll College (Mont.) in overtime 73-69. Every loss but four, including one to LC State, was within 10 points which shows that EOU’s record can be misleading.
AJ Huddleston led EOU on La Grande with 21 points on a 4-for-5 night from 3-point range and former Warrior Brennen Newsom tallied 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. In Lewiston, newcomer Garrett Hawkes led the contest with 20 points as the only Mountie in double-digits. LC State had six in double-figures in that game.
Eastern Oregon ranks in the CCC’s top five in scoring defense (75.5), free throw percentage (.734), 3-point percentage defense (.323), steals per game (6.4), turnover margin (1.21), assist/turnover ratio (1.2) and 3-pointers made per game (9.2).
Jonny Hillman ranks at the top of the Cascade in steals per game (2.2). Hawkes leads the Mountaineers in scoring and ranks third in the CCC with 16.7 points per game and fifth in 3-pointers made per game (2.4). Malachi Afework is third in the conference in free throw percentage (.875).
THE REST OF THE FIELD
Top-seeded No. 3 College of Idaho hosts eighth-seeded Northwest and has home-court advantage throughout the tournament. Third-seeded OIT hosts sixth-seeded Bushnell, and fourth-seeded SOU hosts fifth-seeded Corban.
THE DETAILS
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the P1FCU Activity Center. The contest will be streamed on lcwarriors.com/watch and KOZE will produce a radio broadcast. Tickets and streaming packages are on sale now at lcwarriors.com.
The winners of Tuesday‘s contests advance to the CCC semifinal. The highest remaining seed will host the lowest remaining seed, and the second-highest will host the second-lowest. Should LC State win on Wednesday, the Warriors will host on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors. |
