LEWISTON, Idaho – Lewis-Clark State parlayed a 15-0 first half run into a big lead, holding off a second half Oregon Tech rally, as the Warriors topped the Hustlin' Owls, 87-75, in a first-place battle at P1FCU Activity Center.
 
OIT (12-3, 7-2 CCC) saw a season-high 6-game win streak snapped and lost away from the Klamath Basin for the first time in 2023-24.
 
The Owls never led in the contest, cutting a Warriors (11-5, 9-1) lead to 10-9 on an Erik Fraser lay-up – but LC answered with 3-point plays from John Lustig and Davian Brown, a triple from Gorden Boykins and two Quentin Raynor jumpers – blitzing the nets to a 25-9 lead.
 
The margin grew to 42-22, before Tech closed the first half on a 13-4 run – getting seven of Jamison Guerra's game-high 22 points in the push.
 
A 9-0 run by the Owls midway through the second half, capped by a steal and bucket from Jackson Cooper got the visitors within 63-56. Lustig answered with a steal and lay-up and Raynor hit consecutive 3-point jumpers to keep OIT from getting any closer.
 
Kody Bauman scored a season-high 17 points, converting all six field goal attempts, Fraser scored 12 and Cooper posted 13 points off the bench. LC limited the Owls top three scorers – Kam Osborn, Keegan Shivers and Blake Jensen – to a combined six points.
 
Brown led LC with 19 points, Jaedon Bradley scored 17 and Lustig added 16 – as the Warriors finished the night with a 53-percent shooting clip from the field.
 
The Owls return to the Basin next weekend for a pair of games – starting Friday night against Bushnell – the annual Pink Out Night.