(Lewiston, ID) Alton Hamilton continued to show the NAIA that he is a force this season, and the rest of the No. 22 LC State Men’s Basketball team is right there with him. The Warriors defeated long-time rival Carroll College to open the Comfort Inn Fall Classic on Friday in Butte by a final of 86-79.
Hamilton led the contest with 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a game where LC State shot .526 from the floor. Taden King had his best night as a Warrior with 16 points.
“Big win away from home for our guys,” Head Coach Austin Johnson said. “We didn’t play our best basketball but Carroll’s pressure had a lot to do with that. Taden had his best game and Peyton Nordland was a huge spark the last few minutes. Once again Alton showed what he’s capable of even with a defense designed to stop him. Tomorrow will be the toughest test we’ve faced all year and I’m super excited to see how this group responds.”
The victory improves the LC State record to 4-0 ahead of Saturday’s matchup with No. 7 Montana Tech.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Hamilton matched an opening basket by Carroll before a 3-pointer by King put the Warriors up 5-2 in the first 90 seconds. King scored eight points as part of a 10-point run that made it 15-5 LC State by 16:15. Grayson Hunt added a pair of baskets after a run by Carroll College to keep the Warriors in front by a slim 19-15 margin at 11:51.
MaCarhy Morris added a basket a minute later and Hunt converted a free throw as Carroll chipped away at the margin. Jayceon Smith scored consecutive baskets for a 30-23 lead at 5:47, but a rally by the Saints had the score tied 34-34 with 2:11 to play in the half. Foul shots by Gorden Boykins and layups by Hamilton and King had LC State in front 40-36 at the break.
Hunt tallied a pair of layups to start the second half and a basket by Hamilton kept the lead with LC State, 46-41, three minutes in. Hamilton added five points as part of a 7-2 run to grow the advantage to 53-46 by 15:06. John Lustig and Kellen Jedlicka contributed in a back-and-forth, but the Saints gained momentum to take a 59-58 lead midway through the half.
Hamilton and Morris went back-to-back to put the Warriors back in front 62-59 at 9:05, but Carroll continued to hit clutch shots and keep the lead changing hands. Hamilton struck for six straight points to make it 71-66 before a layup by Peyton Nordland had the margin at 73-68 with 4:46 to play.
Free throws by Boykins and a triple by Nordland had the lead at 78-70 at the 3:31 mark. Foul shots by Hamilton, King, Boykins and Lustig in the final minutes closed out the 86-79 victory.
STAT RECAP
Hamilton led all scorers with 25 points on an 8-for-13 night from the field and 8-for-9 performance from the free throw line. He added a game-high eight rebounds, six assists and two blocks to his night. King added a season-high 16 points with three 3-pointers.
Hunt and Boykins each scored nine points while Lustig and Nordland added seven each. Boykins was 7-for-8 from the free throw line and Nordland was 3-for-4 from the floor.
LC State shots .526 as a team and made 21 free throws.
UP NEXT
The Warriors face their toughest test yet with a matchup against host No. 7 Montana Tech on Saturday in Butte. Tip off is set for 6 p.m. PT at the Comfort Inn Classic.