David Sturner finished with 16 points and eight rebounds
Lewis-Clark State Holds Off Raider Men 87-84
ASHLAND – The 23rd-ranked Southern Oregon men’s basketball team hung with NAIA Div. I Lewis-Clark State throughout the game, but in the end the Warriors held on for an 87-84 win over the Raiders Saturday night at the Flagship Inn Classic at Bob Riehm Arena.
Southern Oregon falls to 6-3 with the loss, while Lewis-Clark State improves to 9-0 on the season. The Raiders return to action next weekend, when they open the 2012-13 Cascade Collegiate Conference season on the road against Northwest Christian and Corban.
David Sturner led the Raiders with 16 points and eight rebounds to go with three assists. Kyle Tedder, Jeff Bush, Dex Daum, Eric Thompson and Terriel Thomas all added 10 points as the Raiders shot 55.6 percent (35-of-63) in the game. Jacob Champoux scored a game-high 25 points for the Warriors, with P.J. Bolte tallying 22 points and Nick Fromm adding 13.
After the opening minutes, Lewis-Clark State held a small advantage throughout the first half, leading by as many as eight points in the opening period before taking a 51-46 advantage into the break. Southern Oregon opened the second half on an 11-5 run, claiming a one-point lead following a layup by Daum with 15:39 remaining.
For the next seven minutes the teams exchanged points, with neither team leading by more than three during that stretch. Southern Oregon’s final lead of the game came on a Tedder layup that made it 67-66 with 8:38 to play. Lewis-Clark State outscored SOU 13-3 over the next four minutes to take a nine-point lead – its largest of the night – with under five minutes to go.
Southern Oregon battled back to within two points following a Thompson layup in the final minute, but the Warriors made five of six free throw attempts in the in the closing 30 seconds to hold off the hosts 87-84.