KIRLAND, Wash. – Alton Hamilton put together a career night with a massive 18-point, 17-rebound double-double to fuel LC State Men’s Basketball’s 88-69 victory over Northwest University on Saturday. The Warriors held a two-point lead at the half before a dominant 47-30 second frame to remain tied for the top spot in the Cascade Conference.
Davian Brown led the LC State scoring efforts with 21 points. The Warriors outrebounded the Eagles 45-33.
“Our guys gutted it out tonight in a wild atmosphere. Truly a team win,” Head Coach Austin Johnson said. “Davian had a phenomenal weekend both offensively and defensively and played like an all-league guy tonight. I thought Alton was the anchor that really kept us solid down the stretch in the second half with his rebounding and extra-effort plays. Super pleased with how our guys played the last two weeks away from home. Excited to see how they respond to the next challenge.”
The win moves LC State to 15-5 overall and 13-1 in CCC play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Northwest came out hot with a 9-2 run before baskets by Sam Stockton and John Lustig had LC within two, 9-7, at 15:01. NU pushed its lead to 11-7 but a triple by Quentin Raynor kept the difference at one point. A basket by Anthony Peoples Jr. and free throw by Brown tied the score 13-13 at 12:54.
Back-to-back baskets by Raynor and Grayson Hunt gave LC State its first lead of the game at 11:16. Free throws by Raynor and baskets by Stockton and Jaedon Bradley pushed the run to 10-0 for a 23-16 LC State advantage by 10:18.
A 3-pointer by Stockton gave the Warriors a 10-point lead, 30-20, with 6:54 to play in the half. NU cut the margin to three before a basket by Raynor increased the lead to 34-29 at 3:40. The Eagles kept their pace and regained the lead at 36-35 with 2:12 left in the half.
Baskets by Brown and Bradley had the lead changing hands frequently in the final two minutes, and free throws by Raynor gave LC a 41-39 lead at the break.
Stockton, Hamilton and Brown hit four straight shots to open the second half with an 8-0 Warrior run for a 49-39 lead three minutes in. Brown erased two free throws by NU with a layup and two foul shots of his own to make it 53-41 at 15:45.
Brown scored his 10th points of the half at 14:11, but a scoring run by Northwest cut the lead to 55-49 until free throws by Bradley made it 57-49 midway through the half. Brown added a layup for a 10-point advantage before another surge by the Eagles had the difference at 61-55 with 8:42 on the clock.
A triple by Raynor put the Warriors ahead by 10, 66-56, with 6:20 to play and Hamilton added a pair of layups to keep the LC lead at 10 points under the five-minute mark. Hamilton, Bradley and Stockton combined for an 11-0 run to increase the advantage to 81-62 at 1:14.
Free throws by Hamilton, Brown and Bradley wrapped up the scoring for LC State.
Brown led the Warriors in scoring with 21 points and Hamilton dominated with a career-high 18 points and 17 rebounds (10 offensive). Both made seven field goals. Stockton, Raynor and Bradley each scored 14 points and Stockton grabbed seven boards.
The Warriors shot 45.1% from the floor and 79.2% (19-for-24) from the free throw line.
UP NEXT
The Warriors are at home against No. 3 College of Idaho in a contest featuring the top two teams in the Cascade Conference.
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