January 22, 2008

Basketball teams prepare for key home FC doubleheaders

 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The Warrior women look to keep the pedal to the metal this week as they finish the first half of Frontier Conference play, looking to take at least a two-game lead.

LCSC, which stands 5-0 in league and 16-3 overall, holds a one-game lead over Carroll College, its opponent on Saturday night. If the Warriors can defeat both Rocky Mountain (Thursday's opponent) and Carroll, it will have no worse than a two-game lead with seven games remaining.

Carroll, at 4-1 and 16-2, can end up anywhere from alone in first place to a tie for third after this weekend's play. If Carroll can defeat both Westminster and LCSC on the road, it would stand no worse than tied for first place with LCSC. Two losses, however, would leave Carroll back in the back and as much as three games behind the Warriors.

Before its home showdown with the Saints at 6 p.m. on Saturday, the Warriors play host to Rocky Mountain at the same time on Thursday. The Bears are 2-3 in league play and 9-12 overall. Rocky is coming off a seven-point loss at home to Carroll, while LCSC has won seven straight contests.

The Warrior defense continues to set the tone for the team. LCSC is allowing the fewest points per game in the NAIA at 52.2 and also leads the country in scoring margin, outscoring opponents by an average of 27.3 points per game.

LCSC also is third in rebounding margin, outboarding opponents by 10.8 per game, is third in turnover margin, forcing 10.2 more than it commits, and also is third in steals per game at 15.1. The Warriors are fourth in assists per game at 19.2 and rank fifth in assist/turnover ratio, and sixth in rebounds per game at 43.3.

The Warriors also rank seventh in field goal percentage defense at 36.2 percent, seventh in offensive rebounds per game at 17.7, ninth in defensive rebounds at 32.5 and 12th in scoring offense at 79.5 points per game.

FRONTIER CONFERENCE STANDINGS - Lewis-Clark State 5-0, 16-3; Carroll 4-1, 16-2; Westminster 3-2, 16-5; Montana Western 2-3, 13-6; Montana State-Northern 2-3, 12-7; Rocky Mountain 2-3, 9-12; Great Falls 1-4, 8-11; Montana Tech 1-4, 7-11.

 MEN’S BASKETBALL

Two big challengers will try to stop the Warriors from gaining the inside track to their second straight Frontier Conference regular season title when Rocky Mountain and Carroll come calling this week.

Rocky is 4-1 in league play and 15-4 overall after stunning Carroll at home last week. The loss dropped Carroll into a tie for fourth place in the standings at 3-2 . Overall, the Saints are 15-5.

LCSC is a perfect 5-0 in league play, a game ahead of both Westminster and Rocky. The Warriors 14-5 overall and riding an eight-game win streak.

"Our games this week should be very interesting," LCSC coach Tim Walker said. "Rocky is the most talented team in the league, and they’re going to come in here and really play hard and physical.  They are a team that’s hard to guard because they have so many weapons.  They shoot the ball well, are big, and they play very good defense.  We will have to be really good on Thursday night. 

"Carroll is another very good team in our league.  They too play very good defense and really grind you on the offensive end.  They have  a lot of people that can score, plus they’re so big inside.  In both games, we’re going to have to play very hard and very smart."

The Warriors should be back at full strength for the two games. Senior guard Justin Fraser of Clarkston missed the Saturday's night's win over Montana Tech after he broke his nose in Friday's win over Montana Western.

Junior forward Kasey Riley continues to work his way back into shape after missing more than a month with a knee injury. Riley continues to play a vital role on the team by giving the Warriors four players to use inside.

Defense has been the key to the Warriors' success this season. The team ranks second in the NAIA in turnover margin, forcing nearly nine more turnovers a game than it commits. LCSC also is fourth in steals per game at 12.6 and usually can convert those turnovers into fastbreak scoring opportunities.

The Warriors also stand eighth in 3-point shooting as a team at 40.5 percent, and also are eighth in free-throw percentage at 72.6 percent. LCSC also is in the top 10 nationally in scoring margin. The Warriors are outscoring opponents by 16.3 points per game, which ranks 10th in the NAIA.

LCSC also is 11th in field goal percentage (50.4 percent), 13th in assist/turnover ratio, and 18th in scoring offense at 82.5 points per game.

Among the individual leaders, sophomore guard Napoleon Gordon is third in steals per game at 3.1, and is 19th in assist/turnover ratio. Senior forward Mike Gordy is third in the country in field goal percentage at 64.4 percent, fifth in scoring at 21.1 points, and 27th in free-throw percentage at 80.3 percent.

Junior guard Brian Duckworth is fourth in 3-point shooting at 48.3 percent, while Rob Comer is 25th at 44.4 percent. Duckworth also is 18th in steals per game at 2.4

Duckworth also is the only other Warrior averaging in double figures at 11.2 points per game, but LCSC has four players between 7.0 and 8.4 points per game.

Gordy leads the team in rebounding at 5.6 per contest, while Jonathan Daly is close behind at 5.5. Daly leads the team in blocked shots with 15.

FRONTIER CONFERENCE STANDINGS - Lewis-Clark State 5-0, 14-5; Westminster 4-1, 14-3; Rocky Mountain 4-1, 15-4; Carroll 3-2, 15-5; Montana State-Northern 3-2, 13-6; Montana Tech 1-4, 5-14; Montana Western 0-5, 7-12; Great Falls 0-5, 4-11.

 MEN’S TENNIS

The Warrior men will play two matches on Saturday, taking on Whitman at 9 a.m. and the University of Idaho at 5 p.m., both at the LCSC Tennis Center.

The Warriors, who lost their season opener on Monday to Gonzaga 4-3, play 13 of their first 14 matches against NCAA teams. 

Jonatan Berhane picked up two victories for LCSC against the Zags, winning his No. 3 singles match and also combining with Sebastian Kuhn for a doubles win. Ali Faris picked up LCSC's other singles victory.  

FUN RUN

The annual Freeze Your Fanny 5K run will begin on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Southway Boat Ramp parking lot in Lewiston. 

The run, which has a fee of $20 with a T-shirt or $10 without, is a fundraiser for the Warrior cross country and women’s track teams. 

The start line is at the Southway Boat Ramp and the course will head south towards Hells Gate State Park for 2.5 kilometers and then runners will turn around and head back. Awards will be given to the top male and female runners and medals will be awarded to the top three finishers in each age group, which is in 10-year brackets. Water, Gatorade, and snacks will be provided after the race. 

To register online, visit http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1506739, or signup the morning of the race at the Southway Boat Ramp.  For more information, contact Mike Collins at mcollins@lcsc.edu or call (208) 792-2308.