From the Lewiston Tribune, Saturday Feb. 18

L-C men get offense in gear in victory over Western

2-18-07

DILLON, Mont. -- While Tim Walker may lament his team's defensive effort, the Lewis-Clark State coach has to be pleased with its offensive production.

The Warriors broke the 80-point mark for the second consecutive night, downing Montana-Western 85-69 in a Frontier Conference men's college basketball game Saturday night.

With the win, L-C (21-6, 10-2) now has a full-game advantage over Carroll and Westminster, which are tied for second in the conference standings.

Walker, though, seemed more concerned with the Warriors' defensive effort.

"We've got to get to playing better defense," said Walker, whose club has won four straight. "We gave up too many easy shots, too many opportunities."

Walker was alluding to the 11-point halftime lead the Warriors nearly blew.

The Bulldogs climbed to within three points with about eight minutes to play. But the Warriors went on a spurt to push the margin back to double figures.

During their run, and really for most of the game, the Warriors were aided by some torrid shooting.

L-C shot 55 percent from the field, including a 52-percent clip from behind the 3-point line.

The Warriors' offense was paced by Teran Lee, who poured in 18 points, including a trio of 3-pointers.

Chris Pitts, meanwhile, added 16 points and eight rebounds, while Mike Gordy and Keith Scarbrough chipped in 14 points apiece.

"We were really balanced," Walker said. "We just shared the ball really well."

The Bulldogs were paced by Tyler Palmer, who tossed in 18 points.

"Wins are tough to come by in February and you've got to take them any way you can," Walker said. "When they made their run in the second half, we didn't panic. We just kept playing, took great shots and gutted out a win."

The Warriors return home Thursday, playing host to Carroll in a contest that will most likely determine the conference champion. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.

The Warriors fell to the Saints on the road 69-62 three weeks ago.

LEWIS-CLARK STATE (21-6, 10-2)

Scarbrough 4-6, 2-2 14, Gordy 5-11 4-6 14, Pitts 6-8 4-8 16, Gordon 2-5 0-0 6, Lee 6-11 3-3 18, Thompson 1-1 0-0 2, Tikker 1-2 2-2 4, Comer 3-7 0-0 9, Daly 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 29-52 15-21 85.

MONTANA-WESTERN (7-18, 1-11)

Morales 4-10 3-8 11, Ori 2-4 0-0 5, Head 4-4 5-8 13, Pitts 1-3 0-0 3, Palmer 6-12 4-5 18, Glaus 0-2 2-2 2, McDonald 1-5 2-3 5, Myers 0-0 0-0 0, Sims 4-7 4-5 12, Neiman 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 22-49 20-31 69.

Halftime -- LCSC 43-32. 3-point goals -- LCSC 12-23 (Scarbrough 4-6, Gordon 2-4, Lee 3-6, Comer 3-7), UM-W 5-17 (Morales 0-2, Ori 1-2, Pitts 1-2, Palmer 2-7, McDonald 1-4). Fouled out -- Thompson. Rebounds -- LCSC 30 (Pitts 8), UM-W 30 (Head 9). Assists -- LCSC 15 (Lee, Thompson 3), UM-W 10 (Morales 3). Total fouls -- LCSC 25, UM-W 19. Technical fouls -- none.