Anthony Holton led CU with 29 points against the Warriors on Saturday.
Warriors Force OT; Hand Cavs First Loss
BOX SCORE - Concordia vs. Lewis-Clark State
LEWISTON, Idaho–Down by 17 late In the first half, Lewis-Clark State came back to force overtime against Concordia before outscoring the Cavs 17-6 in the extra session for a 92-81 win in the final game of competition at the Clearwater River Casino & Resort Invitational on Saturday.
After giving up the opening basket, Concordia scored 14 of the next 16 points to stake an early-double-digit lead. Willy Ligon led the charge with 25 points in the first half which saw Concordia go up by as many as 17 points with the score 36-19 at the 4:56 mark.
A field goal by LC-State’s Robert Morris with less than three minutes remaining cut the deficit to nine, but the Cavs got the final score on the board before the break as Anthony Holton converted with three seconds remaining on the clock for a 49-37 lead.
After shooting .571 in the first half, the Cavs touch cooled to .300 in the second 20-minute period as the Warriors slowly crept back into the contest. P.J. Bolte recorded a bucket with 10:11 remaining in regulation, but CU responded with five straight with a free throw by Holton and back-to-back baskets by Adam Herman and Jesse Armstrong to force the Warriors to counter once again.
Following a LC-State timeout with 2:24 left on the clock, Jacon Champoux hit a 3-pointer with an assist from Robert Ellis to knot the game at 72-72. Ligon came back with a jumper only to see Ellis post a three of his own for the first LC-State lead since the opening minute of play.
With 26 seconds to go in regulation, Donte Archie fouled Herman on a play in the post, sending the All-Tournament pick to the line with his team trailing by one. Herman, who averaged over 20 points per game last season, made the first free throw to tie the game, but missed the second to force overtime after a Warrior missed shot in the lane in the final second.
The home team registered the first two field goals in eth overtime period and never looked back as the team en route to the 11-point win.
“We played 42 minutes of unbelievable basketball,” CU head coach Brad Barbarick said. “Willy had an outstanding first half and it really hurt us when he got into foul trouble. We are disappointed for not getting it done tonight, but I was very proud of how hard we played in back-to-back games at a tough environment.”
Ligon finished with 29 points for the Cavs while Holton put in 21 points on 9 of 20 shooting.Herman added 14 and Armstrong 11 for four players in double-figures. Herman and Holton each had ‘double-doubles’ as both players grabbed 10 rebounds.
“We played a very tough preseason which really helped us,” Barbarick said. “We’ve had some adversity already in this young season, but we believe in what we are doing. It’s very exciting to see what this team will be capable of.”
All-Tournament Team
P.J. Bolte, Sr., F, Lewis-Clark State College (
Most Valuable Player)
Jacob Champoux, Jr., G, Lewis-Clark State College
Nick Fromm, Sr., F, Lewis-Clark State College
Willy Ligon, Jr., G, Concordia (Ore.)
Adam Herman, Jr., F, Concordia (Ore.)
Taylor Pruett, Jr., F, College of Idaho