(Lewiston, Idaho) No. 21 LC State Men’s Basketball pulled away from a gritty Northwest University (Wash.) team in the second half to secure its win over the Eagles by a final of 81-71 on Saturday. Thirteen points from MaCarhy Morris in the second half and 11 from Alton Hamilton were key in helping the Warriors battle back.
Morris finished the night with 20 points and Hamilton notched a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. In all, five Warriors scored in double figures.
“Great way for our guys to finish out the weekend as a team,” coach Austin Johnson said. “We were much better defensively in the second half. We got timely bench scoring from Kasen (Carpenter) and Jayceon (Smith) which helped us get over the hump. We will enjoy this win and move forward to prepare for another huge homestand against two really good teams. We appreciate the great crowds and support we’ve been getting.”
The victory improves the LC State record to 15-5 overall and 10-4 in Cascade Conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The two teams played an evenly contested first half that sat at 36-36 at halftime. A dunk by Hamilton got the Warrior offense going and tallies by John Lustig, Taden King and Morris kept LC State in front by one through the first five minutes.
The Warriors gained momentum with four points from Jayceon Smith and a 3 by Kasen Carpenter for a 24-19 edge at 8:52, but Northwest answered to pull from front 31-26 at 4:50. Free throws by Lustig evened the score 36-36 at the end of the first half.
A layup by Hamilton broke a 45-45 tie at 15:42 in the second half and LC State held the lead for good. The basket started a run of 10 straight Warriors points with contributions from Morris, Carpenter and Gorden Boykins for a 55-45 advantage at 13:14.
A jumper by Boykins sparked an eight-point rally with tallies from Hamilton and Carpenter for a 63-47 lead midway through the half.
The Warriors went to the foul line frequently in the frame and free throws by Smith, Morris and Hamilton kept the lead at 77-67 with a minute to play. Foul shots by Peyton Nordland and a jumper by Morris closed out the scoring for LC State in the 81-71 win.
STATE RECAP
Morris led all scorers with 20 points with eight free throws while Hamilton tallied 15 points on a 5-for-7 night from the field to go with 12 rebounds and three blocks. Lustig scored 12 points (4-6) with six boards, Smith tallied 12 points with six boards, and Carpenter struck for 11 points.
LC State drained 29 free throws and had 31 points off the bench. The Warriors outrebounded the Eagles 38-29 and shot 46.3% from the field.
Filip Mugosa led Northwest with 15 points and Ethan Martin and Caleb Whalen each scored 13. Nash Wobrock grabbed seven rebounds.
