LEWISTON, Idaho – Holding Carroll College to nine points over the final 17 minutes, the Lewis-Clark State College men’s basketball team overcame a 16-point deficit to defeat the Saints 61-56 in a Frontier Conference contest at the LCSC Activity Center on Thursday night.
The Warriors trialed 34-29 at halftime, but during the first three minutes of the second half Carroll showed why it leads the NAIA in 3-pointers made per game, canning three during a 13-2 run to grab a 47-31 advantage with 17:19 remaining.
From that point on, however, the Saints could muster only one 3-pointer, one two-point basket and four free throws. Carroll went just 2-of-15 from the field over the final 17 minutes, while LCSC went 12-of-21 from the field during the same stretch.
The win lifts LCSC to 11-11 overall and 5-7 in conference play, while Carroll had its title hopes severely damaged and falls to 7-4 in conference and 17-5 overall.
Carroll suffered with its Jekyll and Hyde offense all night. After LCSC led 2-0, Carroll ran off 10 consecutive points for a 10-2 lead. The Saints stretched it to 18-6 thanks to their 3-point shooting, but the Warriors fought back and used a 14-2 run to tie it at 20-20. A key to the run was Carroll scored only two free throws during an eight-minute stretch of the half.
Still, the Saints were able to put together some quick buckets near the end of the half and led by as much as seven before going into the locker room at halftime with a five-point advantage.
In the second half, LCSC’s Tanner McIntosh led the comeback by scoring 14 of his game-high 18 points, while Curtis Allen and Brian Duckworth also added critical buckets.
The Warrior defense also rose to the occasion. After giving up some open looks to start the half, the Warriors picked up their man-to-man pressure and Carroll didn’t have an answer.
The Saints were 10-of-21 from the 3-point arc for 47.6 percent, but were only 9-of-28 from inside the arc for 32.1 percent.
LCSC, on the other hand, was 2-of-7 from the 3-point arc, but was 25-of-50 overall in the game for an even 50 percent. The Warriors also were 9-of-10 at the foul line, while Carroll was just 8-of-14.
LCSC took the lead for good at the 4:04 mark on a drive by junior guard Alex Mallari. , but a field goal by Zach Parks cut the lead to 57-56 with 2:36 remaining. That turned out to be Carroll’s final points of the game as the Saints had two turnovers and two missed shots on their final four possessions.
LCSC got a bucket and then two free throws with 15 seconds left from Allen to ice the game. Allen added 10 points for LCSC, along with a team-high 10 rebounds, while Brian Duckworth had 12 points.
Chris Medina led Carroll with 14 points, including 10 early in the game. Andy Garland and Josh Saunders added 11 points, while Chris Kaschmitter had 10 rebounds, all in the first half.
LCSC returns to action on Saturday at 4 p.m. against Rocky Mountain at the Activity Center.
