SPOKANE, Wash. – LC State Men’s Basketball competed in its second NCAA Division I exhibition ahead of the 2023-24 campaign on Friday with a contest at No. 8 Gonzaga. The Warriors fell 96-58 to one of college basketball’s powerhouse programs but saw a lot of positives in the final tune-up before the regular season.
Newcomer Lorenzo Marsh stepped up to lead the team with 14 points on a 4-for-7 performance from 3-point range and freshman MaCarhy Morris dished out five assists.
“Lots of good stuff tonight from our guys,” Head Coach Austin Johnson said. “I thought we moved the ball really well and, despite their press and pressure, we did a good job of taking care of the ball and getting good shots. These exhibitions have been great challenges both physically and mentally for our players. I am excited to see what this group is capable of moving forward and hope they enjoy the journey. We are very grateful to the Gonzaga staff for having us up.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Zags took a 10-0 lead out of the gate before freshman Alton Hamilton found the basket to put LC State on the board. A 3 by Davian Brown and jumper by Anthony Peoples Jr. had the Warriors within seven, 14-7, at 12:44, and back-to-back triples by Marsh had the difference at 18-13 three minutes later.
A 3-pointer by Brown and basket by Peoples Jr. made it a two-point game with a score of 22-20 with 7:17 to play in the half, but Gonzaga quickly pushed the margin back to double-digits at 32-20 by 5:06. Marsh hit another 3 before Javon Jones found the basket to close out the first half with LC State trailing 51-28.
Brown hit a 3 for the first basket of the second half, and tallies by Grayson Hunt and Jaedon Bradley had the score at 61-37 by 16:30. The Warriors were held off the board for nearly four minutes before a triple by Quentin Raynor cut the GU run at 12:40.
Hunt, Marsh, John Lustig and Sam Stockton added free throws down the stretch before a bucket by Jayceon Smith closed out the contest.
Marsh led LC with 14 points with all four field goals coming from 3-point range. Brown added 11 with 3 triples and Peoples Jr. scored eight. Six different Warriors grabbed at least three boards and Hamilton blocked two shots. Morris dished out five assists and Stockton had three.
UP NEXT
The Warriors open the regular season on Wednesday at home against Northwest Indian College. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m. in the P1FCU Activity Center.
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