OLYMPIA, Wash. – A big second half was the difference on Friday for LC State Men’s Basketball against Evergreen State. The Warriors led by two at the break before rallying to outscore the Geoducks 54-33 in the final 20 minutes for a 90-67 victory.
“We were stuck in mud for the first half but we made enough shots to hang in there,” Head Coach Austin Johnson said. “Credit to Evergreen for dictating the rhythm to start. The first five minutes of the second half were the difference maker and I thought Davian Brown had a lot to do with that. He played with poise and I felt that carried to rest of the guys. Any road win is a big thing so I’m proud of the guys for hanging in there. Need to rest up and recover for a tough Northwest team.”
With the win, LC State is 14-5 on the season and 12-1 in Cascade Conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alton Hamilton scored the first six points for LC State in the contest before Jaedon Bradley added back-to-back triples for a 12-6 lead at 16:12. A layup by Sam Stockton and 3-pointer by Brown had the advantage at 17-10 a minute later, and Anthony Peoples Jr. and Gorden Boykins made it 22-13 at 13:18.
The Geoducks cut the difference to one point, 27-26, with 6:34 to go in the half before taking a 30-29 lead with 2:49 on the clock. A 3-pointer by Brown put the Warriors back in front for good at 1:11 and a basket by John Lustig sent LC to the locker room with a 36-34 advantage.
Bradley, Brown and Hamilton combined for an 18-2 run to open the second half and build the LC State lead to 54-26 after three minutes. The Warriors held their pace before Quentin Raynor struck for eight straight points in less than a minute on two 3s and two free throws. Boykins added a layup to cap the 10-point run at 8:21.
Grayson Hunt made his return to the court and Jayceon Smith scored his first basket to keep the difference at 26 points with six minutes to play. Smith and Raynor each added a 3-pointer and Peoples Jr. and Stockton both made a free throw to cap the scoring.
Brown led all scorers with 18 points, Bradley added 17 and Hamilton, Raynor and Peoples Jr. each scored 11. Hamilton led the defense with eight rebounds, Brown had five assists and both Stockton and Smith had three steals.
UP NEXT
Warrior Men’s Basketball wraps up the long road slate with a contest at Northwest University on Saturday at 5 p.m.
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