LC STATE ATHLETICS NEWS

LEWISTON, Idaho – The NAIA’s Top 25 was turned upside down on Friday when No. 22 Lewis-Clark State Women’s Basketball upended No. 9 Carroll (Mont.) 73-44. The Warriors held Carroll to the lowest point total against LC State since 2017 and third-lowest in the rivalry dating back to 2001. The Warriors packed the box score with high-energy offense and potent defense to secure the nearly 30-point win.

Darian Herring had the most complete game of the group with 12 points, career-high seven assists, six rebounds, four blocks and two steals, while Ellie Sander led the contest in scoring with 15 points along with six rebounds and three steals. Payton Hymas dished out a career-high eight assists to lead LC State’s 22 dimes on 31 made baskets and Sitara Byrd notched a double-double with 11 rebounds and 10 points.

“Extremely impressed with the way we defended tonight,” Head Coach Caelyn Orlandi said. “The way we rebounded, got steals, and the amount of deflections we had tonight was so remarkable. We capitalized on 19 points off their turnovers and we rotated so very well defensively.

“The impact Darian has on the court comes from every statistical category on the stat sheet and she is one of the most dynamic players we have had at LC State in a long time,” Orlandi added. “Ellie Sander’s ability to play passing lanes and get steals is so special and she turns and capitalizes on them on the other end. Sitara is so tough and her double-double is hard earned.”

LC State is now 4-0 on the season with the top-10 win under its belt.

“Carroll College is a great team and is well coached, and the intensity that surrounds the game when we play is great for both teams and all student-athletes involved,” Orlandi explained. “I look forward to this season with this team and love the absolute joy they have playing the game.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Warriors controlled the pace of play from the tip with a layup by Hymas on the opening possession. Carroll hit a 3 before taking a 6-4 lead at 7:55, but LC State took over from there.

A layup by Sander started a nine-point run with baskets by Byrd and Herring to help the Warriors to a 13-6 advantage by 5:36. After a bucket by the Saints, a basket by Byrd sparked another run of nine that was capped by a 3 from Camden Barger for a 22-8 cushion. Free throws by Carroll had the lead at 22-10 after 10 minutes.

Hymas opened the second frame with a triple before back-to-back layups by Herring gave LC State a firm 29-13 advantage at 7:02. Ella Nelson hit a 3 and Mataya Green and Lindsey Wilson added to the scoring for a 36-22 lead at the break.

LC State started the second half on a 12-2 run with tallies from Herring, Byrd, Hymas and Tatum Brager to pull ahead 47-24 midway through the third quarter. A foul shot by Green led to an eight-point LC State stretch capped with a 3 by Brager. The Warriors took a 55-28 advantage into the final 10 minutes.

Brager, Byrd and Sander combined for six points to start the fourth frame and give LC State its largest lead of the game, 61-28, at 8:08. Carroll went on a late run of eight points before a 3 by Barger and layup by Sander killed the Saints’ momentum. A triple by Grace Beardin and free throws by Nelson closed out the scoring for LC State in the 73-44 win.

STAT RECAP

The Warriors filled up the stat sheet with 40 rebounds, 22 assists, nine steals and five blocks. LC State shot .564 from the field (31-for-55) and held Carroll to .300 from the floor and just .143 (3-for-21) from 3-point range. The Saints turned the ball over 16 times which led to 19 LC State points. No Carroll players scored in double-digits.

Three LC State Warriors scored in double-digits, led by Sander’s 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting. She added three steals to her season with a block, two assists and six boards. Herring put together a monster game with 12 points, seven assists, six rebounds, four blocks and two steals.

Byrd led the contest with 11 rebounds to go with 10 points, and Hymas added nine points with her eight assists.

The LC State bench scored 24 points and supplied an enormous amount of energy.

“We have to mention the absolute tremendous bench energy we had today as well,” Orlandi said. “They were talking us through on defense and so encouraging offensively. All of our bench players that came in were so good tonight and are so very important to what we do as a team.

UP NEXT

The Warriors wrap up the weekend at home on Saturday against NCAA Division III Puget Sound. The contest is set for 4 p.m. in the P1FCU Activity Center.

Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.