LEWISTON, Idaho – Strong defense throughout the game and an offensive surge in the second half helped the Lewis-Clark State College men’s basketball team leave Walla Walla University in the dust on Wednesday night. The Warriors topped the Wolves by a final score of 93-51.
The Warriors, now 5-1, looked good on both ends of the floor as they shot 50 percent from the field and forced the Wolves into 30 turnovers.
On offense, the Warriors displayed a balanced attack from both inside and outside as they had a 36-8 advantage in points in the paint and also knocked down 8-of-25 attempts from 3-point territory.
Scoring-wise, PJ Bolte led the team with 19 points, but four other Warriors also scored in double-digits. Kale Schmidt scored 15, Nick Fromm had 13, Chris Hepperly 11, and Darin Stewart 10. Both Schmidt and Hepperly came off the bench and hit three 3-pointers apiece.
On defense, LCSC claimed 14 steals and ended up with a 35-9 advantage in points scored off of turnovers. Stewart led the team with four steals.
The game started slow, with neither team settling in offensively, and the result was a 34-29 score at halftime. LCSC opened the second half with a 12-point run and the lead continued to increase throughout the half.
Lewis-Clark State benefited from a 36-30 edge in rebounds and a 17-0 advantage in second chance points. Stewart led the team with six boards, while Fromm, Schmidt, and Ray Stout added five apiece.
The Warriors had a 24-11 advantage in assists in the game with Donte Archie and Danny Marshal leading the way with five and four, respectively.
Leading the effort for Walla Walla, now 1-11 on the season, was Mark Moore who collected 19 points to go with four rebounds. Josh Hough had seven points and a game-high nine rebounds.
The Wolves shot 37.2 percent overall.
The Warriors will be off for over a week now with their next game scheduled for Dec. 8 at home against Multnomah University. The game-less stretch looks like it comes at a good time for the Warriors as starting guard Jeray Key missed Wednesday’s game due to pain in his left leg. The extent of Key’s injury is currently unknown and he is considered day-to-day.
