Warriors Triumph Over Carroll in Overtime, 79-73

LEWISTON, ID--25th-ranked Lewis-Clark State upset 10th-ranked Carroll College, 79-73 in overtime, in a Frontier Conference men’s basketball game played Thursday night at Warrior Gymnasium.

Lewis-Clark State College (20-8, 9-3) got a game-high 29 points and team-high five assists out of junior guard Jason Brazier and a 21-point effort out of junior guard Brian Meneely. Sta’Fon Lawson added a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with eight points. The Warriors made 60% of their shots in the first half, and made all five of their field goals in the overtime. Lewis-Clark State is now 11-1 in home games, and an undefeated 5-0 in home conference games.

10th-ranked Carroll College (22-6, 11-1) had their ten-game winning streak snapped, and hopes of a perfect conference record dashed. Kirk Stiles led the Fighting Saints with 16 points and Chris Bond came off of the bench to add 15. Shane Gamradt added 13 points and a game-high seven assists while Jeff Mason grabbed ten boards. Gary Lynch was held 12 points below his average, only scoring four points. Carroll College remained in the game by forcing 28 Lewis-Clark State turnovers, and converting those into 24 points. The Saints bench also outscored the Warriors bench, 24-5.

LCSC led for most of the first half, and led by as many as seven twice. The Fighting Saints grabbed their first lead, 8-7, on a 3-pointer by Stiles, with 13:36 to go in the half. A jumper by Greg Johnson, almost two minutes later, gave Carroll its biggest lead of the half, four.

A 6-0 run by L-C to open the second half, gave the Warriors their biggest lead of the game, 13. A couple of Gamradt layups cut the lead to nine, but then Lawson answered with a layup of his own. For the next five minutes, LCSC would miss its next nine field goals, and see its 11 point lead turn into three-point deficit.

A James Idoko layup cut the lead to one, and the Brazier went coast-to-coast with a layup to put the Warriors ahead. The lead traded hands five times, until Idoko converted another layup to put L-C on top, 54-53, with only 2:22 left in regulation. The Warriors would pull ahead by as many as five points down the stretch, but an off-balance 23-footer from the top of the key by Stiles sent the game into overtime.

The Fighting Saints would take a two point lead to pen the extra session on a pair of free throws by Kevin Downs. But a layup by Brazier with 2:28 remaining pushed the Warriors ahead for good, 69-67. Lewis-Clark State, the second-best free throw shooting team in the league (only to Carroll), made 7-of-its-9 free throws in overtime to seal the win.

Carroll College has already wrapped up the number one seed in the upcoming conference tournament. Lewis-Clark State needs to win out its last two home games to secure the second seed. LCSC hosts Rocky Mountain College Saturday night.

Box score vs. Carroll College