LEWISTON, ID – John Lustig joined a prestigious group on Tuesday with the 1,000th point of his career and was a key factor in third-seeded LC State’s 88-75 victory over sixth-seeded Corban (Ore.) in the quarterfinal round of the Cascade Conference Men’s Basketball Championship, presented by U.S. Bank.
The LC State Warriors shot a staggering 64.9% from the floor and were led by MaCarhy Morris’ 23 points. With second-seeded No. 24 Oregon Tech being upset by seventh-seeded Multnomah, the LC State Warriors will host Multnomah in a semifinal matchup in Lewiston on Friday. Tickets are on sale now at lcwarriors.com/tickets.
“Super proud of our guys with how they handled such a quick turnaround,” coach Austin Johnson said. “We had some defensive lapses and offensive miscues but ultimately it’s all about surviving and advancing. Alton (Hamilton) was awesome and once again I felt like MaCarhy answered the bell in terms of being a high-level guard. John and Gorden (Boykins) played like vets and had big moments. Jayceon (Smith) and Dylan (Skaife) were super impressive as freshmen in the clutch. We need to rest up and prepare for another big-time matchup and opponent. Excited to see how this group responds.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
LC State answered an opening basket by Corban with six straight points on tallies from Lustig and Morris. Dylan Skaife hit a 3 at 15:40 to make it 11-6 and five straight points from Morris pushed the lead to 18-10 by 12:37.
A layup by Morris sparked a run of nine LC State points with baskets by Lustig and Boykins for a 27-13 advantage at 8:47 in the half. Triples by Morris and Boykins kept the momentum with LC State as the hosting Warriors led 41-29 at the half.
The second half was more evenly fought with the majority being a back-and-forth battle. Four points from Alton Hamilton and a layup by Boykins combined for a six-point run to push the lead to 58-43 at 13:51, and Corban stayed within 11 until the final minute.
Free throws by Lustig and Morris ended the contest with LC State in front 88-75.
STAT RECAP
Morris led the LC State Warriors with 23 points and two steals while Lustig added 18 points. He now sits at 1,006 in his career as just a junior. Hamilton tallied 16 points on an 8-for-9 night from the field with 12 rebounds and tied his career-high with seven assists. Boykins finished the night with 13 points off the bench and five rebounds. Three of his boards were offensive and two were put back for baskets.
LC State shot a season-high 64.9% from the field (37-for-57) and went a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. The LC Warriors committed only five fouls in the contest and outrebounded Corban 27-17.
UP NEXT
The Warrior men host Multnomah (Ore.) in the semifinal round of the CCC tournament on Friday at 7 p.m. in the P1FCU Activity Center. Tickets are on sale now at lcwarriors.com/tickets.
