Warriors zone out Great Falls; L-C men alter their defensive look, register ninth consecutive victory
Copyright of The Tribune

GREAT FALLS, Mont. -- Lewis-Clark State showed a different side of its increasingly stellar defense Friday night, using a zone scheme to clamp down on Great Falls.

L-C limited the Argos to 35.9 percent shooting and bagged a 58-44 Frontier Conference men's basketball victory. The Warriors, ranked ninth in the NAIA, improved to 16-4 and 4-0 with their ninth consecutive victory.

It had been a month since LCSC spent most of a game in a zone. The defense succeeded in slowing down Great Falls' attack.

"There were numerous possessions that got down deep in the shot clock for them," Warriors coach George Pfeifer said. "... I was really pleased with what we did defensively."

The Warriors were also efficient offensively. They connected on 20 of 38 floor shots, including a 6-for-8 mark from 3-point range. They also went 12-for-14 at the line.

L-C led by as much as 14 points. The Argos got to within six in the second half, but never closed further.

Point guard Danny Allen recorded 17 points and five assists for the Warriors. Martin Brothers added 14 points and four rebounds.

The Warriors also got a key boost from Justin Fraser. The guard from Clarkston converted a three-point play and a 3-point basket on back-to-back plays.

Senior guard Joey Ray didn't play in this game. When asked about his absence, Pfeifer said only, "He missed the bus."

LCSC will be at Havre tonight to face Montana State-Northern.

LEWIS-CLARK STATE (16-4, 4-0)

Moore 2-9 4-5 8, Idoko 0-3 0-0 0, Brothers 3-5 7-8 13, Allen 7-9 0-0 17, Bishop 3-3 0-0 7, Fraser 2-3 1-1 6, Wilson 2-2 0-0 5, Pitts 0-1 0-0 0, Tikker 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 20-38 12-14 58.

GREAT FALLS (4-17, 1-4)

Owens 3-10 2-2 9, Edwards 2-9 4-4 8, Geniesse 0-2 0-0 0, Suazo 3-3 1-2 6, Chapman 1-4 0-0 3, Tomlinson 0-1 0-0 0, Cline 3-6 0-3 9, Pollock 2-4 4-4 8. Totals 14-39 11-15 44.

Halftime score -- LCSC 29, UGF 20. Three-point goals -- LCSC 6-8 (Allen 3-5, Bishop 1-1, Fraser 1-1, Wilson 1-1); UGF 5-18 (Owens 1-2, Edwards 0-4, Geniesse 0-2, Chapman 1-3, Cline 3-6, Pollock 0-1). Rebounds -- LCSC 17 (Moore 5); UGF 25 (Edwards 7). Assists -- LCSC 9 (Allen 5); UGF 9 (Edwards, Pollock 3). Total fouls -- LCSC 18; UGF 13. Fouled out -- Tikker. Technical fouls -- none.