CALDWELL, Idaho – The Warriors trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half, but a dominant performance by sophomores Alton Hamilton and MaCarhy Morris gave No. 25 LC State to push it needed to outlast Dickinson State (N.D.) 81-79 to open the Taco Bell Shootout in Caldwell on Friday. The duo from Southern California both had career nights, with Hamilton notching a 28-point, 18-rebound double-double and Morris nearly doing the same with 23 points and nine boards.
Hamilton's rebound total ties for seventh-most by a Warrior in a single game and is the most since 2014.
The contest came down to the final seconds in a dramatic finish with the LC State defense fending off a pair of last-second plays by the Blue Hawks. The Warriors outscored Dickinson State 25-11 in the final seven minutes.
"Pretty wild finish but proud of the guys for sticking with it and doing just enough to win," Head Coach Austin Johnson said. "Alton and Mac (Morris) really helped us out of some offensive jams, and we got enough stops as a team down the stretch to finish it off. Our energy and togetherness were really good even when we were making it tough on ourselves. It certainly wasn't our best basketball but with such a young team it was a big step to stay poised and cross the finish line. We'll need to find a way to be even better tomorrow against a tough Providence team."
The victory improves the Warrior record to 2-0 on the young season ahead of Saturday's contest against Providence (Mont.).
HOW IT HAPPENED
A pair of foul shots by Hamilton evened the game early in the first half before a triple by Morris and jumper by Grayson Hunt had the Warriors out to a 7-2 lead by 18:23. Hunt and Taden King each tallied baskets, but Dickinson surged to pull ahead 14-11. Hamilton cut the difference to one, 14-13, and Kasen Carpenter kept the score within two with free throws to make it 17-15 at 13:00.
Freshman Kellen Jedlicka tied the game 17-17 before Carpenter drained a deep 3 to put the Warriors in front 20-17 at 11:08. Morris capped the nine-point swing with a jumper before hitting a 3-pointer at 10:10 to make it 25-19 LC State.
After a three-minute scoring drought for both teams, DSU struck for five points before Hamilton answered with his first triple of the season. Another three-point play by the Blue Hawks cut the margin to one, 28-27, at 5:49, but Gorden Boykins made up for a foul with a layup to push the advantage back to 30-27. Hamilton dropped in another layup to keep the difference at 32-30 with 4:48 to go in the half.
Dickinson State took advantage of three free throws and a layup to take the lead late in the half. Morris cut the deficit to one, 35-34, with 1:33 to play, but the Blue Hawks added on to hold a 37-34 edge at the break.
Free throws by Hamilton, Hunt and John Lustig, as well as a 3-pointer by Morris had LC State within two before a layup by Lustig evened the score 44-44 at 14:40. The teams traded baskets, with Hamilton scoring a pair of baskets after grabbing offensive rebounds, to keep the score knotted 48-48 at 13:05.
Another round of DSU baskets had the Blue Hawks up 55-48 before a layup by Peyton Nordland cut the run at 11:09. The momentum stayed with Dickinson as the margin grew to 61-50 at 9:42.
Lustig scored and Hamilton converted a pair of free throws and Morris netted a jumper to keep the difference within 10, 68-58, with 7:12 on the clock. Jayceon Smith and Hamilton each made two foul shots before a layup by Morris made it a four-point game with just under six minutes to go.
Hamilton continued to make his way to the free throw line and Morris added another bucket to chip away at the Dickinson lead. With 4:38 left on the clock, the Warriors trailed 71-67.
Hamilton continued his stellar night with an offensive board and strong layup to cut the margin to two. Hamilton and Boykins went back-to-back before two straight buckets by Hamilton and Morris gave LC State a 79-76 edge.
The Blue Hawks drained a 3-pointer to tie things up with 22 seconds to play, and two free throws by Hamilton gave the Warriors a two-point advantage with seven seconds on the clock. DSU missed a 3-pointer with two seconds to go, and a final attempt fell after time expired as LC State hung on to its 81-79 lead at the buzzer.
STAT RECAP
Hamilton led all scorers with 28 points on 8-for-16 shooting and an 11-for-12 night at the free throw line. Seven of his 18 rebounds were offensive. Morris' 23 points came via a 10-for-17 performance from the field to pair with his nine rebounds.
The Warriors were 18-for-20 at the free throw line (.900) and shot .426 from the field.
UP NEXT
LC State concludes its weekend in Caldwell on Saturday when the Warriors face former Frontier Conference for Providence at 2 p.m. PT.
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.