ATHERTON, Calif. - Senior guard Donnie Lao scored 22 points off the bench while junior guard David Johnson added 16 to help the Lewis-Clark State College men's basketball team defeat Menlo College 83-61 on Friday night.
Both Lao and Johnson played less than a half in the contest and had outstanding nights from the field to help the Warriors improve to 5-1 overall. Lao hit 8-of-10 shots from the field, including 3-of-4 at the 3-point line, and also had five assists in the game. Johnson was 6-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-3 from the arc, and added two steals.
Lao played 19 minutes in the contest, while Johnson played 16.
The pair helped the Warriors shoot 52.8 percent from the field in the contest. LCSC was 28-of-53 from the field, including 15-of-26 in the second half, which helped the team pull away.
The Warriors also shot the 3-ball well as they finished 9-of-20 from the arc, while the Oaks were 2-of-12.
Menlo, an NAIA Division II team, fell to 2-5 with the loss. The Oaks trailed only 35-27 at halftime, but allowed the Warriors to score 48 points in the final 20 minutes.
Darin Stewart also was in double figures for LCSC with 10 points and he added five rebounds. Devon Adams led LCSC with six rebounds as the Warriors held a 40-29 advantage on the boards.
Menlo finished the contest 22-of-58 from the field for 37.9 percent. The Oaks shot 52.2 percent from the field in the second half, but only 28.6 percent in the opening 20 minutes.
Despite the 61 points, Menlo put four players in double figures. Nick McCullar led the way with 17 points, while Patrick Greene had 11 and seven rebounds.
A big difference in the contest was bench points. LCSC's bench outscored Menlo's bench 47-14.
Johnson started LCSC on a 16-3 run early in the first half when he sunk a 3-pointer. The run put LCSC up 24-8 and seven of LCSC's eight field goals at that point came from beyond the arc.
After Menlo cut the lead to seven at halftime, the Warriors scored the first eight points of the second half to pull away.
The contest was the first of three straight games in California for the Warriors. On Saturday, LCSC tangles with Holy Names University at 6 p.m. in Oakland, and then it takes on Cal Maritime Academy in Vallejo on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
LCSC's next home game is next Saturday against the same Menlo squad. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. at the LCSC Activity Center.
