Moore's exploits highlight men's 97-54 victory
Copyright of the Lewiston Morning Tribune

By MATT BANEY OF THE TRIBUNE

When they've struggled this season, the Lewis-Clark State men have been strangely unpolished in transition situations. For some reason, the ball would go to the wrong player, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

But the Warriors discovered this Friday night: When John Moore is blazing down either wing, it's a magnificent idea to pass him the ball.

With Moore, a junior transfer from Chicago, racking up 21 points, LCSC skewered Malaspina of British Columbia 97-54 at Warrior Gym. These teams will meet again today at 4 p.m.

Making his third consecutive start, the 6-foot-6 Moore whirled out of the gates. He won the opening tip, then, in the first 2 1/2 minutes, popped a pair of jumpers and dunked in transition.

His slam was especially memorable. James Idoko blocked Malaspina's Henry Bui to start a fast break. Guard Spencer Bishop passed to Moore on the right side of the court, and the lean forward wafted by Graham Giske for a one-handed throwdown.

"When he gets within 4 or 5 feet of that basket," LCSC coach George Pfeifer said of Moore, "it's pretty hard for somebody to get up and contest him -- no matter who we've played so far this year."

But Moore isn't just an athletic dynamo. He posted up, shot from the outside and corralled a game-best 11 rebounds.

"It took me a little while to get things where coach wanted them to be at," said Moore, who came to L-C from San Jose City Community College. "I feel real comfortable out there and I know what he expects and what my teammates expect."

Point guard Danny Allen continued his noteworthy play, tallying 12 points and 11 assists. Late in the first half, Allen potted two 3-pointers, then followed each by setting up Jared Tikker and Moore for dunks.

Tikker, a sophomore from Nine Mile Falls, Wash., went 7-for-10 from the field for 16 points. Martin Brothers added 11 points and eight boards while Joey Ray, in his first game back after being shelved by a foot infection, scored eight points on 2-for-7 shooting from 3-point range.

Before this game, Pfeifer hadn't been able to track down game film of the Mariners. Now that the Warriors have these 40 minutes to study, the coach wants his club to play a smarter game this afternoon.

"This will give us a chance to maybe get a little bit more dialed in, because what we do is play to a scouting report," Pfeifer said. "... Now that we've seen them live, hopefully we'll play more intelligently defensively."

MALASPINA (6-10)

Hubbs 3-8 4-5 10, Leslie 3-5 0-2 6, Boyland 5-9 0-0 10, Bui 3-9 6-6 12, Giske 3-11 1-2 10, McMann 0-4 0-0 0, Beuerlein 0-0 0-0 0, Darrybyshire 3-3 0-0 6. Totals 20-49 11-15 54.

LEWIS-CLARK STATE (9-4)

Moore 9-14 2-2 21, Idoko 1-1 1-3 3, Brothers 5-8 1-3 11, Allen 5-9 0-0 12, Bishop 2-4 0-0 5, Jaekel 3-5 0-0 8, Ray 3-8 0-0 8, Fraser 3-9 0-0 9, Orr 0-2 0-0 0, Tikker 7-10 2-2 16, Stroyan 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 40-73 6-10 97.

Halftime score -- LCSC 48, Malaspina 23. Three-point goals -- Malaspina 3-8 (Hubbs 0-1, Giske 3-7); LCSC 11-28 (Moore 1-1, Allen 2-5, Bishop 1-3, Jaekel 2-3, Ray 2-7, Fraser 3-9). Rebounds -- Malaspina 32 (Leslie, Boyland 7); LCSC 34 (Moore 11). Assists -- Malaspina 8 (Beuerlein 3); LCSC 26 (Allen 11). Total fouls -- Malaspina 17; LCSC 13. Technical fouls -- none. Fouled out -- Hubbs.

Baney may be contacted at mbaney@lmtribune.com