TUCSON, Ariz. – The student-athletes of Lewis-Clark State Men’s Basketball opened the 2023-24 season with an incredible experience in Tucson on Friday. The Warrior men played against one of the top teams in college basketball in NCAA Division I No. 10 Arizona in a packed McKale Center in an exhibition contest. LC State held its own for much of the first half before falling 110-70.
“Tonight was a great first test both mentally and physically for our guys in a great environment,” Head Coach Austin Johnson said. “Very appreciative of Coach Lloyd and Arizona for hosting. We had some great moments offensively and defensively that are encouraging of who we may become. MaCarhy (Morris), for a freshman, really handled things well in his first college game which calmed things down a bit early. Lots of guys contributed which is what we’ll need with the big challenges that lay ahead of us. Thankful for how hard this group has been working.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Warriors kept pace with the powerhouse Wildcats for much of the first half. A 3-pointer by Jaedon Bradley put LC State in front 3-2 in the opening minute, and a layup by Davian Brown had the score at 5-4 LC at 17:24. Arizona quickly gained momentum to take a 14-7 lead, but buckets by Javon Jones and Sam Stockton had the Warriors within two, 14-12, at 14:11.
Anthony Peoples Jr. gave the Warriors another lead with a jumper at 11:28 to push the score to 17-16. Brown added a 3 to make it a two-point difference, 20-18, at minute later, and Grayson Hunt had the margin at four with a basket at 9:17. After a MaCarhy Morris bucket, John Lustig snagged a steal and brought it back for a dunk to put LC ahead 29-28 at 6:49. The Wildcats widened the gap to lead 57-38 at the half.
Bradley opened the second half with a 3-pointer in the first possession. Brown added a triple 30 seconds later to make it 59-44 Wildcats at 19:12. Jones cut an Arizona run with a jumper at 14:48, but the Wildcats continued to charge on.
Quentin Raynor and Morris tallied back-to-back baskets to put the score at 84-51 midway through the half. Brown added a deep 3 after a steal at 6:02. Arizona closed out the contest by a final of 110-70.
Morris and Brown led the Warriors with 11 points each, both with three 3-pointers and four field goals. Morris was 3-for-4 from 3-point range. Hunt, Peoples Jr. and Jones each scored eight points. Morris grabbed a team-best five boards in his 23 minutes.
LC State shot 40.6 percent as a team and 39.3 from 3-point range. All but one Warrior scored in the contest.
UP NEXT
The Warriors compete in a second DI exhibition on Nov. 3 when LC State travels to No. 8 Gonzaga for a matchup in Spokane.
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