(LEWISTON) No. 15 Lewis-Clark State Men’s Basketball won its fourth straight contest to stay perfect in Cascade Conference play with a 70-59 victory over Walla Walla on Thursday. Alton Hamilton notched a double-double with a contest-leading 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Jayceon Smith tallied career-highs in rebounds (7) and steals (5).
“Another good road win for the guys,” Head Coach Austin Johnson said. “We certainly had some offensive struggles, but I was proud of how we defended and rebounded down the stretch. Jayceon, Kasen (Carpenter) and (Peyton) Nordland were big lifts off the bench. We don’t win the game without those guys and their contributions. We’ll need to be even better on Saturday against Florida College, a perennial national tournament team.”
LC State is now 8-1 on the season and 4-0 in Cascade Conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Gorden Boykins scored on the possession of the contest and Hamilton hit a 3-pointer two minutes later for a 5-4 LC State advantage. Buckets by Grayson Hunt and MaCarhy Morris kept the Warriors in front before Walla Walla evened the score 10-10 at 15:38. Free throws and another triple by Hamilton put LC back in front 15-13 at 14:08 before four points by Smith made it 19-13 at 10:56.
Hamilton and Josh Salgeruo went back-to-back for a 23-15 advantage with 8:39 to play in the half, but a surge by the Wolves cut the difference to 23-19 by 6:08. Hamilton scored once more, and Kasen Carpenter hit a 3 to keep the pressure on WWU.
After a layup by Hunt put the Warriors up 30-19, Walla Walla gained momentum to cut the margin to four, 34-30, at halftime.
After a bucket by WWU made it a two-point game, Morris drained a 3 to push the LC State advantage back to 37-32. The Wolves took the lead at 16:03 before a triple by Peyton Nordland regained the Warrior lead for good. A 3-pointer by Morris sparked an eight-point run that was capped by a basket by Smith to give LC State a strong 54-41 lead at 10:39.
The teams traded baskets with tallies by Nordland, Carpenter and Hamilton offsetting Wolf buckets. A layup by Boykins had the lead at 62-52 with 4:26 left to play and baskets by Smith and Hamilton carried the contest to its 70-59 final score.
STAT RECAP
Hamilton led the contest with 20 points and 14 rebounds with an 8-for-9 night at the free throw line. Morris added 13 points with three 3-pointers and Smith tallied 12 points, seven boards and five steals. He was 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
The Warriors forced 15 turnovers and committed a season-low five with 10 steals. LC State had 25 points off the bench.
UP NEXT
The Warriors continue the road trip on Saturday in La Grande with a non-conference neutral-site contest against Florida College. The action is set to start at 1 p.m.
