| BUTTE, Mont. – John Lustig had the best all-around game of his career, but his 22-point, 10-rebound double-double was not enough as a buzzer-beater 3-pointer by No. 7 Montana Tech ended No. 22 LC State Men’s Basketball’s unbeaten streak on Saturday. The Warriors led 83-82 with seconds on the clock, but a final bucket gave the Orediggers an 85-83 victory.
“Our guys really battled in another tough road game,” Head Coach Austin Johnson said. “We’ve got a good group, but we need to take some steps defensively if we’re going to reach our full potential. We had some impressive individual performances but it’s tough to win on the road when you allow the opponent to shoot almost 60 percent from the floor. Excited to see how this group responds as we head into conference play.”
LC State is now 4-1 on the season and will open conference play on Nov. 26 against Walla Walla (Wash.) at home.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first half was fast-paced with the teams trading baskets through the first 10 minutes. Montana Tech scored the first six points of the contest before a layup by Lustig put the Warriors on the board. Taden King hit a 3 before three straight baskets by Lustig had the game tied 11-11 at 13:53. Foul shots by Alton Hamilton gave LC its first lead of the half, 13-11, at 13:26, and a layup by the sophomore made it 15-11 Warriors a minute later.
Lustig, MaCarhy Morris and Grayson Hunt kept the offense going for LC State as the Orediggers evened the score 23-23, but layup by King and steal and layup by Gorden Boykins had the score at 27-23 in favor of the Warriors at 8:49. Kasen Carpenter scored five points in the span of 30 seconds to make it 34-28 by 7:14, and a triple by King kept the lead with LC State, 37-32, at 6:01.
Montana Tech chipped away at the lead before tying the game 40-40 on a 3-pointer with 2:47 to play in the half. Hamilton and Jayceon Smith both converted a pair of free throws, but a jumper in the last minute had the Diggers in front 46-44 at halftime.
Both teams scored 39 points in the second half. A free throw by Kellen Jedlicka was the first point for LC State in the frame and a pair of foul shots by Lustig kept LC within three at 18:44. Baskets by Hamilton, Morris and Lustig tied the contest 54-54 at 15:06 before four made free throws by Jedlicka and Hamilton had LC in front 58-56 six minutes in.
A run by Montana Tech had the Warriors trailing 63-58, but a triple by King was followed by three points from Hamilton to give LC State a 64-63 edge at 9:28. Free throws by Boykins sparked a run of 12 straight Warrior points, with contributions from Morris, Lustig and Hamilton, for a 76-65 advantage by 5:03.
Boykins put LC State up by 10 with a 3-pointer with 3:27 to play, but Montana Tech surged to tie the game 82-82 in the final 15 seconds. A free throw by Lustig but the Warriors up 83-82, but a last-second 3-pointer by Tech gave the Orediggers the 85-83 victory.
STAT RECAP
Lustig tied career-highs in both scoring and rebounding with his 22-point, 10-rebound double-double. He also dished out a team-best four rebounds and was 9-for-14 from the field. Hamilton added 17 points including an 11-for-14 night at the free throw line. King scored 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the floor and 3-for-5 from 3-point range, and Morris scored 10 points.
The Warriors shot .519 from the floor and out-rebounded Montana Tech 37-24.
UP NEXT
The Warriors open Cascade Conference play on Nov. 26 when LC State hosts Walla Walla (Wash.) in the P1FCU Activity Center.
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