LEWISTON, Idaho – Breianna Gaines (left) hit two of Lewis-Clark State College’s five 3-pointers in a five-minute stretch of the first half to spark a 19-0 un and help the Warrior women’s basketball team remain alone in first place in the Frontier Conference standings with an 88-64 win over Montana Western at the LCSC Activity Center on Saturday night. 

The win lifts the Warriors to 22-4 overall and 11-1 in conference play with two games remaining. Montana Western slips to 4-8 and 16-11. 

Celebrating Senior Night with its final home game of the season, the Warriors never trailed in the game and set the tone early with their defense that limited the Bulldogs to just three field goals in the first 12 minutes of the game.  A key stretch was when LCSC went on a 19-0 for a 30-7 lead. The Warriors had four players hit a total of five 3-pointers and Gaines hit two of them and scored eight of her game-high 19 points during the run. 

The Warriors led 44-25 at halftime and Montana Western could get no closer than 19 the rest of the way, while LCSC led by as much as 27 in the second half. 

LCSC played one of its best home games of the season as six players finished in double figures. Following Gaines, Jade Fulbright added 14 points, five assists and six steals, while Sadie Short and Vanessa West had 12 points apiece. Lacie Titmus chipped in 11 and Mandy Troutt added 10. 

The Warriors hit 33-of-56 shots from the field for 58.9 percent and were 9-of-18 at the 3-point line and 13-of-14 at the foul line.  Montana Western was 22-of-53 from the field for 41.5 percent and 14-of-21 at the foul line. The Bulldogs, however, had 24 turnovers as the Warriors had 13 steals. 

Trout had six rebounds to lead LCSC, while Chloe Mosey had 14 points and nine rebounds to lead Western. 

Four LCSC seniors played in their final home game of the season – Fulbright, Troutt, West, and Katie Hart, who had three assists, three rebounds, and two steals. 

LCSC can wrap up its third straight regular-season conference title next Thursday when it travels to Helena, Mont., to face second-place Carroll College. The Saints are 10-2 in conference play. A win by LCSC would give it the conference title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament in Butte the following week.