LEWISTON, Idaho – Another second-half scoring drought in the second half meant doom for the Lewis-Clark State College men’s basketball team as they fell to Eastern Oregon University 73-47 in the Cannon’s Building Materials Center Tournament at the LCSC Activity Center on Saturday night.
Although the Warriors never led in the contest, they managed to cut a 12-point first half deficit to two at 38-36 with 13:42 remaining in the game. The Mountaineers, however, would go on to outscore the Warriors 35-11 the rest of the way.
LCSC also hit a wall in its 79-65 loss to Evergreen State in the tournament’s opening round on Friday. LCSC led 58-54 with a little more than eight minutes remaining when the Geoducks used a 19-2 run to take control of the game.
The Warriors were hot and cold again on offense on Saturday night, but cut a 30-22 halftime deficit to 38-36 with an 8-0 run. Markus Monroe, who made the all-tournament team, hit a 3-pointer to spark the run and put the Warriors close.
Eastern Oregon answered with a run of its own as it used a 14-2 spurt for a 52-38 advantage. Mountaineer guard Dan Stafford hit a pair of 3-pointers during the run, while tournament MVP Jordan Gregg added a pair of free throw.
LCSC then proceeded to only score five points during the last 7:27 of the game. LCSC went 1-for-9 from the field and 3-for-8 at the foul line during the final 7:27.
Gregg posted his second double-double of the tournament to help Eastern Oregon finish as the lone undefeated team at 2-0. Overall, both Eastern Oregon and LCSC are 6-3.
Gregg, a 6-foot-7 senior, finished with a game-high 16 rebounds and 11 points. He also had four assists and three steals. In a win over Montana State-Northern on Friday, Gregg has 12 points, 13 rebounds and two assists.
Joining Gregg and Monroe on the all-tournament team were Josh Landsverk of Eastern Oregon, Justin Dennis and Walynn Burgess of Montana State-Northern, and Nathan Menefee of Evergreen State. Menefee finished with 33 points in an 89-72 setback to Montana State-Northern in Saturday’s other contest.
Eastern Oregon got off to a great start against LCSC as it grabbed an 8-2 lead. Although the advantage went up to as much as 12, the Warriors managed to hang in there.
Eastern Oregon made the most of offensive rebounds in the first half for a 30-22 halftime advantage. The Mountaineers outrebounded LCSC 30-22 in the first half and had 12 offensive boards compared to 12 defensive rebounds for LCSC. That helped EOU to nine second-chance points.
Both teams struggled in the first half on offense. Eastern Oregon was 11-of-35 from the field for 31.4 percent, while LCSC was 8-of-24 for 33.3 percent. LCSC also committed 11 turnovers and EOU had 10.
Those shooting struggles continued in the second half for LCSC as the Warriors finished 16-of-51 from the field for 31.4 percent, while Eastern Oregon was 25-of-65 for 38.5 percent, but was 11-of-24 from the 3-point line for 45.8 percent.
Eastern Oregon also finished with a 53-28 rebounding advantage and had 20 offensive boards.
Stafford finished with a game-high 20 points, while Thomas McCarthy added 12. Landsverk had nine points and nine rebounds.
Tanner McIntosh and Daniel Williams finished with eight points apiece for LCSC.
The Warriors take a small break before returning to action in two weeks on Dec. 12 at Walla Walla University. LCSC’s next home game isn’t until Dec. 29 when it plays host to Wisconsin-Stout.
