(LC-State Media Release)
LEWISTON, Idaho – Trystan Bradley scored the first 11 Warrior points in the first four minutes of Friday night's Frontier Conference Quarterfinal victory over Montana State-Northern. The No. 7 Lewis-Clark State Men's Basketball team battled with the Lights all 40 minutes before securing the 73-68 win and a spot in the Frontier Conference Championship. Bradley scored a career-high 27 points, including a career-high-tying five 3-pointers.
"There's more weight behind these games because it's a tournament," Bradley said. "If you lose, you're out. We just have to stay calm and not panic. We have to keep playing how we play."
"They're a physical team," Damek Mitchell said. "Every game we've played with them has been close. They get after it, then we get after it, and it's a great game all around."
MSUN struck first with a 3-pointer, but Bradley quickly responded with back-to-back triples to put the Warriors in front. His third 3 of the game was followed by a bucket by Mitchell, and Bradley found the basket again 30 seconds later to make it 15-9 LC State at 14:08.
The Lights knotted things up at the 11:09 mark before three free throws by Khalil Stevenson gave LC State a 23-20 advantage. A 3 by Jaxon Hughes and a basket by Bradley kept the Warriors in front by a slim margin, and a basket by Jake Albright had LC leading 38-37 at the break.
Travis Yenor opened the second half with a 3 on an assist by Mitchell. The Lights climbed within two, but a triple my Mitchell, followed by back-to-back baskets by Bradley and Yenor pushed the lead back to five at 50-41 with 14:13 to play.
A MSUN 3-pointer tied things up 50-50 midway through, but a 3 by Hodges Bailey gave the Warriors back the advantage. A triple by Josiah Westbrook broke a 55-55 tie, and two more 3-pointers from Bradley extended the cushion to 68-62 at 4:36.
Back-to-back buckets by Albright and Westbrook sealed the deal for LC State, and a free throw by Yenor ended things at 73-68.
Bradley led all scorers with his career-high 27 points. He was 10-for-16 from the floor and tied a career-best with five made 3-pointers (5-for-8). He also led the team with nine rebounds. Yenor scored 13 points and collected eight boards, and Albright chipped in 10 points. Mitchell did his part, dishing out nine assists to go with seven points and seven rebounds.
The Warriors shot 43.9 percent from the field and made 10 3-pointers. Every Warrior that got in the game scored.
Mascio McCadney led the Lights with 18 points, while Jesse Keltner grabbed 13 rebounds. David Harris added 15 points and Adam Huse scored 14.
With the victory, the Warriors advance to the Frontier Conference Championship game on Monday. LC State will host second-seeded No. 17 Carroll College in a rematch of last season's title game. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in the Activity Center.
