PORTLAND, Ore. – The duo of Callie Stevens and Ellie Sander was an offensive powerhouse on Saturday to help No. 7 Lewis-Clark State rally past Warner Pacific in Cascade Conference action. Stevens scored a career-high 38 points and Sander added 27 to push the Warrior women past the Knights by a final of 95-73.
“I can’t express how proud I am of our team today,” Head Coach Caelyn Orlandi said. “That was an extremely physical game and our team did an excellent job of playing tough, fundamental basketball. We found a way to win and winning on the road is tough.”
Stevens’ 38 points is tied for fourth-most in a single game for LC State. She did so on a career-best seven 3-pointers and 14-for-22 shooting from the field. Sander added five triples, a career-high, and was one point shy of her personal-best.
“Callie Stevens continues to show why she is one of the top scorers in the Cascade Conference and shot exceptionally well from the 3-point line and was consistent all game long,” Orlandi said. “Ellie Sander exploded in the fourth quarter and did a great job of playing tough basketball. She showcased her athleticism today and scored the ball at a high level.”
The wins moves LC State to 14-2 overall and 10-1 in CCC play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stevens converted a steal into a layup for the first basket of the game before adding a 3 to put LC up 5-2 in the first minute. Sander added a basket 30 seconds later after a steal by Sitara Byrd, and Lindsey Wilson made it seven straight Warriors points with a layup at 7:43.
After a two-minute scoring drought, Sander and Stevens drained back-to-back 3s to cap the Warrior run at 13 straight points. LC led 15-2 by 5:23.
Mataya Green scored her first basket of the game at 3:34 and Stevens followed to put the Warriors up 19-7 with 2:52 to play in the opening frame. WPU rallied to pull within five, 19-14, before Stevens hit a 3 to end the quarter with LC up 22-14.
Green opened the second period with a jumper on an assist from Tatum Brager to push the difference back to 10 points. Stevens completed an and-one play to make it five straight for the Warriors. Wilson and Stevens kept the offensive run going to keep the lead at 31-21 with 6:13 to play in the half.
The Knights surged to cut the margin to five once more, but Byrd, Sander and Stevens helped LC maintain a 40-31 lead at the break. Stevens scored 23 points in the first half.
Stevens and Sander hit back-to-back triple to start the Warrior offense in the second half and push the advantage to 46-33 a minute in. Wilson and Sander each grabbed an offensive rebound that turned into buckets for Byrd and Green for a 50-39 lead at 6:58.
WPU surged to cut the LC State lead to four, 50-46, but tallies by Darian Herring and Ella Nelson kept LC in front by a slim margin. The Knights were within one, 54-53, before a 3-pointer by Sander at 2:40 got the offense going once again for LC State. Stevens followed with her sixth 3 of the contest, and a layup by Wilson had the scoring run at eight for a 62-53 lead at 1:19.
Teirra Hicks scored five straight points for Warner Pacific to in the final minute of the third quarter, and a free throw by Nelson had the Warrior advantage at 63-58 with 10 minutes to play.
Byrd scored the first basket of the final frame before Stevens added a layup to make it 67-60, but WPU’s McKeeley Tonkin struck for a pair of 3-pointers to make it a one-point game once again.
Sander added four points to go with a triple by Stevens to build the Warrior lead back to 74-68 midway through the final quarter. Green added two free throws to grow the run to seven points before Sander made it 10 straight with a 3-pointer. A pair of foul shots by Stevens gave the Warriors an 81-70 cushion at 4:13.
Green added three points and Sander netted another 3 before a layup by Byrd capped a 10-point stretch, and Sander added back-to-back baskets to make it 93-73 LC State with 1:04 left in the game. Stevens closed out the scoring in the 95-73 victory.
Stevens and Sander combined for 65 points to lead the contest, and Green tied her career-high with 11. Wilson led the defense with seven rebounds and Sander dished out six assists.
“All of our forwards were tough and fought for rebounds all game,” Orlandi said. “Mataya shot the ball well, Lindsey communicates on defense so effectively, and our two freshmen had great minutes. A tough win and I am continuously impressed with our ability to adapt to changing circumstances and find ways to battle together for each other.”
LC State shot 59.7% from the floor and scored 18 second-chance points.
UP NEXT
The Warriors wrap up the weekend at Multnomah on Sunday at 1 p.m. No fans are allowed due to dangerous weather conditions in the Portland area. Links to live coverage are available on lcwarriors.com.
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