Defense, Gordy help LCSC men stop No. 24 MSU-Northern 58-49

 1-12-08

LEWISTON, Idaho – Mike Gordy (shown left) scored five of his game-high 20 points down the stretch and keyed a strong defensive stand that limited Montana State University-Northern to just two free throws over the final six minutes to help the Lewis-Clark State College men’s basketball team defeat the Lights 58-49 in a Frontier Conference contest at the LCSC Activity Center on Saturday night. 

Gordy, a 6-foot-5 senior forward from Denver, continued to put up impressive numbers this season by posting a double-double in the contest. The second-team NAIA All American and co-FC Player of the Year from last season went 5-of-7 from the field and 9-of-12 at the foul line and also had game-high honors with 10 rebounds. 

The Warriors, 12-5 overall and in first place at 3-0 in the conference, won their sixth straight game despite having three players combine for all but eight of the team’s points. Junior guard Brian Duckworth finished with 19 points, three steals, two rebounds and two assists, while senior center Jon Daly (shown below) had his best game of the season with 11 points, seven rebounds, four blocked shots, three dunks, and two assists. In all, Gordy, Duckworth and Daly combined to go 16-of-22 from the field, including 4-of-5 from the 3-point line, and 14-of-20 at the foul line. The rest of the team was 3-of-20 from the field. 

Still, it was the Warrior defense that came through in the clutch. LCSC had leads to 12-5 and 25-16 in the first half, but MSU-Northern scored the final nine points of the first half to tie the game at 28-28. Northern then scored the first six points of the second half on a pair of 3-pointers by Delvaughn Tinned, but LCSC answered with an 8-0 run to regain the lead as Gordy and Duckworth had four points apiece.

The contest then went back and forth until Tinned hit a short jump at the 6:07 mark to put the Lights ahead 47-45. That, however, was the last time MSU-Northern, 12-6 overall and 1-3 in conference play, scored from the field. 

After a free throw by Gordy, sophomore point guard Napoleon Gordon put the Warriors ahead for good with a 3-pointer. Andre Sellers cut the lead to 49-48 with a free throw, but Gordy and Daly both scored inside buckets and Daly hit a free throw. Duckworth added a bucket to make it 56-48. Derek Trembley, who led MSU-Northern with 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field, hit one of two free throws, but Gordy iced the game with a pair of free throws to give the Warriors the win. 

Tinned also finished in double figures with 12 points for MSU-Northern, which entered play this week ranked No. 24 in the NAIA but lost to both Westminster and LCSC. 

The Warriors resume action on Friday night by taking on Montana Western in Dillon, Mont. Tipoff is at 7 p.m., Pacific time.