LEWISTON, Idaho – The Lewis-Clark State College men’s basketball team made its 2011-12 season home debut at the Activity Center on Friday night, and above everything else they proved that they’re a team capable of putting a lot of points on the board. The Warriors scored 60 points by halftime and ended up thumping Augustana 114-54 on the first day of the two-day LCSC Tournament.
Shooting 50.6 percent from the field, including 10-of-30 from 3-point territory, the Warriors’ offense got rolling early and never seemed to stop. LCSC’s 114 points stands as the highest scoring total since the team scored 115 against Montana Western during the 2003-04 season.
“It was good for us to shoot the three like that,” said first-year head coach Brandon Rinta. “Especially to have [Kale] Schmidt come in and hit those three’s in the first half.”
Schmidt, a freshman guard from Stanwood, Wash., was 3-of-4 and Donte Archie was 2-of-3 from the outside in the first half which helped the Warriors push the lead to 53-17 within the first 16 minutes.
Not to be outdone by the perimeter players, the Warriors post players also put up good numbers including 64 points in the paint, and 25 second chance points.
Facilitating such an offensive display was a crisp and unselfish passing effort. Led by six assists from Joey Wayman, the Warriors finished with 29 assists on the night—the highest assist total the program has had in a single game since 2006. Ironically, the Warriors’ 34 assists in 2006 came against Augustana.
Twelve out of the 13 Warriors to play in the game finished with at least one assist. Jeray Key was second on the team with five.
Darious Walker, a 6-foot-6 senior from Tacoma, Wash., led the team with 18 points on a 7-of-9 night from the field and a 4-for-4 mark at the foul line. PJ Bolte added 13 points, seven boards, and three steals; and Danny Marshall had 12 points nine boards, three assists, and two blocks.
Augustana, out of Camrose, Alberta, was led by 15 points and five rebounds from Shayn Bruney.
Overall, the Warriors had a 53-26 advantage in rebounds, including a 22-2 lead in offensive rebounds. LCSC also had a 20-7 advantage in steals.
Lewis-Clark State is now 2-0 on the season as they prepare to face a strong opponent in Southern Oregon University on Saturday.
MSU-Northern, picked to finish first in the Frontier Conference, took down Southern Oregon 85-76 in the first game of the LCSC Tournament on Friday, but the contest was close and SOU could prove to be a tough matchup for the Warriors.
“They’re a really good team,” said Rinta. “It’s going to take a good effort from us tomorrow.”
