Trey Fountain had a game-high nine assists as Multnomah fell to Lewis-Clark State (#24 in the NAIA D-I) 80-68 Saturday in the Domino's Classic.
LEWIS-CLARK STATE 80, MULTNOMAH 68: No. 24 Warriors Use Long Runs to Fight Off Lions
CALDWELL, Idaho – Hoping to spring a major upset in the Domino's Classic, the Multnomah University Lions hung with NAIA Division I men's basketball power Lewis-Clark State College until the Warriors used a 17-0 tear in the second half to defeat the Lions 80-68 Saturday evening here at the College of Idaho's J.A. Albertson Center.
Multnomah, coming off its first win of the season Friday over Montana Tech, and 24
th-ranked LC State swapped the lead four times and were tied four times in the first six-and-a-half minutes of the game. The Lions got a three-pointer from Trey Fountain, a tip-in by Jon Viles, and a jumper by Ben Grandle to break the tie and build its largest lead of 22-17 with 11:02 left in the period. A 9-0 run, capped by a Jeremy Franklin three, enabled the Warriors to pull ahead 26-22 with 8:38 left.
The Lions battled back and regained the lead 32-31 on a trey by Stephen Sedlock with 4:43 to go. It was their final points of the half, however, as the Warriors reeled off 11 straight, Derrick White's three with two seconds left giving the Idahoans a 42-32 lead at the break.
Grandle opened the second half with a layup and a triple as Multnomah cut the LC State lead in half, and a three by DJ Ahana at the 16:47 mark made it 48-45. The Lions were still within six at 54-48 following a Viles jumper with 13:31 left, but over the next four minutes, they missed 10 shots in a row. The Warriors, meanwhile, could not miss, connecting on seven straight from the field while scoring 17 unanswered points for a 71-48 lead and effectively dashing the Lions' upset dreams. Sedlock ended the LC State run with a layup, but the Lions got no closer thereafter than the final score.
--- By the Numbers: Grandle led the Lions with 14 points, followed by Viles with 13 and Sedlock and Brett Blackstock with 12 apiece. All four of them also grabbed seven rebounds, helping the Lions out-board the bigger Warriors 46-44, including a 17-6 advantage on the offensive end. Fountain handed out nine assists. Multnomah shot .329 (26-79) from the field, only .250 (10-40) from long range.
Five Warriors reached double digits in points: White with 22, Race Martin 14, Andrew McCowan 12, Damek Mitchell 11, and Franklin 10. Martin was the rebound leader with eight, and Trea Thomas passed out six assists. LC State hit .475 (29-61) on field goals, .409 (9-22) on threes.
Multnomah is now 1-3 on the season, while Lewis-Clark State climbed to 7-1.
--- Next: Multnomah returns home to host New Hope Christian College Tuesday in a non-conference game at 7:00 p.m. … Lewis-Clark State visits Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., Wednesday at 4:00 p.m.