CALDWELL, Idaho - Matt Ballenger missed a potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer, as Lewis-Clark State held on for a 53-50 victory over The College of Idaho in the final game of Day 1 of the Duane Wolfe Memorial Golden Rule Shootout, inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
In the early game, Walla Walla ralled from a 10-point second half deficit to pick up their first win of the season, topping Evergreen 82-75.
L-C (3-1) broke a 29-29 tie with a 14-2 run early in the second half, taking a 43-31 lead with nine minutes remaining on a Nick Fromm runner. The Coyotes, who went eight minutes without a field goal, battled back, as Sydney Donaldson canned a trey to cap a 9-1 run, closing the gap to 44-40 with 5:50 left.
The Warriors would lead 52-46 on a put-back Danny Marshall bucket with 37-seconds left, but a DeAngelo Jackson jumper and a fast-break dunk by Rodney Delgardo, coupled with 1-of-3 shooting at the line by L-C, gave the Yotes (2-4) a chance. Ballenger came off a screen with two seconds left, with his tying three rimming out as the horn sounded.
Joey Wayman had 11 points off the bench for L-C, with Donte Archie and Fromm each scoring 10. Marshall had 12 rebounds for the Warriors, as the visitors had a 39-29 edge on the glass, including 21 offensive boards.
Krispin Banks had 14 points in the loss for the Yotes – who have held an opponent under 56 points in each of their last three games. Delgardo had 11 points and Donaldson 10 for The C of I, with Rick Tolman recording a career-high 10 rebounds.
In the early game, Walla Walla (1-6) made 10 first half three-pointers, building a 15-point first half edge, taking a 48-43 lead to the break. Evergreen rallied, opening the second half on a 23-8 run, grabbing a 66-56 lead with 10 minutes to play. However, the Wolves rode the hand of Mark Moore, who drained a triple with 2:23 left to give WWU a 74-73 lead – an edge they would not relinquish.
Moore led all scorers with 28 points and 11 rebounds, with Bryce Doherty scoring 12 off the bench. The Geoducks (0-4) got 19 points from Travis Wagner, including five consecutive first half three-pointers.
Day 2 of the tournament is tomorrow, with L-C meeting Evergreen at 5 p.m., followed by The C of I and Walla Walla at 7 p.m.