(Lewiston, ID) The No. 13 LC State Women’s Basketball team fought off a barrage of 3-pointers to escape Multnomah with a 78-70 victory to start 2025. Mataya Green had one of the best games of her career with her first double-double on 14 points and a career-best 11 rebounds. The Warriors had five players in double-digits, led by Ellie Sander with 16.
“We found a way to win on the road and that’s what these trips are about,” Head Coach Caelyn Orlandi said. “It was extremely physical and I was proud of the way our team responded to that. Multnomah scores the fourth most points in the league and has excellent shooters. Credit to them for knocking down shots this afternoon. Mataya did a fantastic job today on the glass and I appreciate her effort to go get the rebound every opportunity she can.”
The win improves the LC State record to 11-2 overall and 5-2 in Cascade Conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Multnomah opened the contest with four 3-pointers with a layup by Darian Herring in between to put LC State in a 12-2 deficit early on. Sander cut into the Lion run with a pair of free throws before taking a steal all the way back for a layup to make it 12-6 at 6:49. Herring converted a free throw and Sitara Byrd passed an offensive board to Sander for a basket. The Warriors trailed 12-9 at 4:39.
An offensive rebound by Green found its way to Herring to cut the difference to one, 12-11, before foul shots by Green put the Warriors in front 13-12 at 3:43. Tatum Brager added to the lead with a triple a minute later and free throws by Byrd made it 18-12. Brager added her second 3 of the quarter shortly after.
LC State held Multnomah off the board from more than seven minutes in the frame and scored 19 points in the span to lead 21-14 after 10 minutes.
Herring hit a jumper to start the second quarter before a free throw by the sophomore had the score at 24-16 40 seconds in. Tessa Karlberg fought her way to a basket to keep the difference at 10 points at 8:40.
Brager and Green each tallied baskets for a 30-24 advantage with four minutes to play in the half. After a Green foul shot, Byrd turned a steal into a bucket by Camden Barger and Green scored once more for a 35-30 edge at 1:20. Another steal by Byrd fed into a layup by Sander. LC State took a 37-32 lead into the break.
Strong defense helped LC State open the third frame with back-to-back baskets by Byrd and Green before Green found Byrd under the basket for two more. Byrd took another steal straight to basket and Green put back an offensive rebound for a 48-37 advantage at 3:52.
Sander added to the scoring with a layup and Green continued her career night to offset Multnomah 3-pointers. Kendall Wallace hit a triple at 1:02 and Herring fought through traffic for a 57-43 margin heading into the final 10 minutes.
The Lions continued to drain 3-pointers but contributions from Karlberg helped the Warriors stay in the lead as the contest continued. Brager matched a Nomah triple to put the LC State lead at 63-51 at 7:24.
Herring netted two foul shots and Karlberg moved through the Lion defense for a basket. Brager and Sander kept the difference in double-digits, 71-60, with 3:19 to play. Byrd totaled three points and a steal in the span of 30 seconds as the clock ticked under a minute.
Byrd found Sander under the basket for a layup, but free throws by the Lions had the difference at 76-70 with 23 seconds on the clock. Sander answered with her own free throws to seal the 78-70 victory.
STAT RECAP
Sander led the Warriors in scoring with 16 points on a 5-for-7 game from the field. She was 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Green tied her career-high with 14 points to go with her game-leading 11 rebounds and was 5-for-8 from the field. Herring and Brager each scored 13 points, with Brager doing with on a 3-for-4 performance from 3-point range, and Byrd added 11 points with five steals and a career-best five assists.
“Our offensive game was solid today and I always love having a balanced attack,” Orlandi said. “Five in double digits is always a big positive for us and I love our ability to have any player attack the basket.”
The Warriors forced 18 turnovers and scored 32 points off of those turnovers. LC State shot 52.9% from the field and matched Multnomah with 24 rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Warriors continue the Portland trip on Saturday with a contest at Warner Pacific. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.
