CORVALLIS, Ore. – In a best-of-three series, Lewis-Clark State College and the College of Idaho will battle it out to see who will represent the Cascade Collegiate Conference at the NAIA National Championship as the automatic qualifier (AQ).
Due to the coronavirus and county mandates, the CCC basketball season was pushed back, but the two Idaho teams were still allowed to compete and begin the revised CCC Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship, presented by U.S. Bank, tonight in Lewiston, Idaho.
LC State earned the right to host the first game after holding a higher ranking on the Feb. 10 NAIA Top-25 Coaches’ Poll, with the Warriors currently sitting in the No. 4 spot.
The Warriors come into the contest boasting a 14-1 record, coasting a six-game winning streak. LC State is also undefeated at home with eight victories in the LC State Activity Center.
LC State averages 85.7 points per game with a 21.4 average scoring margin. Four Warriors average double-digit points, with Trystan Bradley coming in with a 16.7 points per game mark. Damek Mitchell averages 14.2 points per game, while Hodges Bailey (11.9 points per game) and Travis Yenor (11.8 points per game) aren’t far behind.
The Coyotes have played 14 games so far, boasting a 7-7 mark with five losses coming against NCAA Division I team. It is the fewest games played by a C of I team since the end of World War II was in 1945-46, when the Yotes played 19 games (going 2-17).
C of I averages 73.1 points per game as a team, with Jalen Galloway leading the charge at 15.3 points per game. Ricardo Time and Jake O’Neil also average in double figures, posting 13.7 points and 10.8 points per game, respectively.
Tonight marks the first time the two teams will face each other this year. They tip off tonight at 7:00 p.m. PST on the Warriors’ home court. No fans will be permitted to the games, but all games will be streamed online. Fans can follow Wednesday night’s action through the LC State
portal.
CCC Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship, presented by U.S. Bank
Feb. 18 @ LC State – 7 p.m. PST
Feb. 21, @ C of I – 5 p.m. MST
Feb. 27 (if necessary)