LEWISTON, Idaho – For the Lewis-Clark State College men’s basketball team, the little things are adding up to be big things.
Unable to hit the game-winning shot at the end of regulation or another shot to force a second overtime, the Warriors fell to Carroll College 81-79 in a Frontier Conference contest at the LCSC Activity Center on Thursday night.
The disappointing loss was the fourth in a row for LCSC and the sixth in its last seven games. Three of those losses have been by five points or less and have dropped the Warriors from a first-place tie in the conference to sixth place. The Warriors are now 14-9 overall and 4-6 in conference play.
This loss was especially painful from the perspective LCSC had a three-point lead at 69-66 when senior guard Donnie Lao scored in the pain with 1:30 left.
However, what would become the theme of Carroll late in the game, Tony Dalton converted a three-point play with 1:12 to tie the game with 1:12 remaining.
A bucket in the key by Alex King with 36 seconds left gave the Warriors a 71-69 lead, but Dalton answered nine seconds later to tie it.
LCSC then called a timeout with 19 seconds left to set up a play, but as they clock ran down, the Warriors were forced to try a 3-point attempt from about 22 feet that missed to force the extra five minutes.
The Warriors hurt themselves in overtime by hitting only one of their first four free throws. In the meantime Andy Garland and Byago Diouf of Carroll scored on consecutive three-point play to put the Saints ahead 77-72.
Shane Miller made a pair of free throws for the Warriors, but Garland made his second three-point play of the overtime on a basket and a free throw to put the Saints up 80-74.
Miller, who had 14 points off the bench for LCSC, hit a jumper with 1:27 left and then a three-pointer with 43 seconds remaining to cut the margin to 80-79. The Warriors then forced a turnover with 14 seconds left. After a time out with 10 seconds remaining, the Warriors ran an inbounds play to senior forward Alex King, who posted up inside, but had his shot blocked by Garland and didn’t get a foul call. Diouf grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled.
Diouf missed the first free throw with 5.1 seconds left, but made the second. LCSC then got the ball into junior guard Jeray Key who drove the floor only to have his 12-foot jumper at the buzzer bounce off the back of the rim.
The win moved Carroll into a tie with Montana Western for first place in the conference at 6-3. The Saints, who received votes in the last NAIA Top 25 poll, are 16-6 overall.
Lao led LCSC with 16 points, followed by Miller and David Johnson, who had 12. Jared Giammona also was in double figures for LCSC with 11 points. Lao also had seven rebounds, five assists and four steals in the game.
LCSC actually outscored Carroll from the field, but free throws were a problem. LCSC was 28-of-60 from the field for 46.7 percent, while Carroll was 25-of-55 for 45.5 percent. At the foul line, Carroll was 22-of-28 for 78.6 percent, including 16-of-18 in the second half and overtime. LCSC finished just 14-of-24 at the line, 58.3 percent.
The Warriors resume action on Saturday night at 8 when they play host to Rocky Mountain at the Activity Center.
Click here to watch the Warriors' final shot attempt in overtime.
Click here to watch the Warriors' final shot attempt in overtime.
