DILLON, Mont. – After Joey Wayman hit a 3-pointer about midway through the second half, it appeared the Lewis-Clark State College men’s basketball team might kick off Frontier Conference play in grand style on Friday night.
Instead, the Warriors didn’t earn many style points – or points in general – the rest of the way.
Scoring only two points in more than a nine-minute stretch of the second half, the Warriors watched a one-point lead turn into a 77-64 setback to the University of Montana Western.
The Warriors, 11-4 overall, took a 56-55 lead when Wayman connected on his 3-pointer with 10:49 left in the game. The bucket helped LCSC battle back from an 11-point deficit to take the lead for the first time in the second half.
However, the Warriors didn’t score again until Donte Archie hit a buck at 5:27. The Warriors then went scoreless for another four minutes until Archie hit another bucket with 1:24 left.
By then, the Bulldogs were in complete control, using the 17-2 run to grab a 72-58 advantage. Archie’s bucket got the Warriors within 12, but the Warriors would get no closer.
Montana Western, now 12-5 overall, led for most of the game, but a 3-pointer at the 5:22 mark of the first half gave LCSC its first advantage at 25-22. The Bulldogs were able to put together a 12-2 run and eventually led 37-33 at halftime.
The Bulldogs then went on a 9-2 run to start the second half as they hit four of their first five shots. That put UMW up 46-35 and it appeared Western would run away with the game.
The Warriors, however, whittled away at the lead and regained the upper hand when Wayman hit his shot. LC, however, would score only eight points in the final 10-plus minutes.
After hitting 11-of-22 shots for 50 percent in the first half, the Warriors went 13-of-38 in the second half (34 percent) and finished the game 24-of-60 for an even 40 percent. Included in that mark was a 6-of-20 showing at the 3-point line.
Western, which also shot 50 percent in the first half, kept up that pace in the second half and finished 31-of-61 for 50.8 percent.
Western’s Brandon Brown, who was the conference MVP last season, finished with a game-high 26 points, three rebounds, and two assists. He scored 13 in each half despite picking up his fourth foul midway through the second half.
Tyler Hurley added nine points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists for the Bulldogs.
PJ Bolte was one of three Warriors in double figures with 17 points and recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds. Archie added 16 points, four rebounds, and three assists, while Darin Stewart added 10 points.
The Warriors will try to gain a split on the road Saturday night when they travel to Butte, Mont., to face Montana Tech. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., PST.
