CALDWELL, Idaho – Sinking double-digit three pointers for the third time this season wasn’t enough to give the Evergreen Geoducks the win, falling to the Lewis-Clark State Warriors, 81-62, in a NAIA men’s basketball game on Saturday evening at the Duane Wolfe Memorial Golden Rule Shoot-out at College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho.
The Warriors (4-1) connected on the opening basket, using a three-pointer by Darin Stewart to take the initial lead on the Geoducks (0-5). Evergreen powered back, pulling ahead by as many as six as the Green and White made three from beyond the arc in the first period but 65.2% shooting was enough to give Lewis-Clark State a 39-36 halftime lead.
In the second half, LCSC quickly took control, pushing the lead into double-digits and making it hard for Evergreen to mount a comeback. The Geoducks managed to cut the lead to seven on a three-ball by Marice Tolliver (Tacoma, Wash./Lower Columbia College) with 10:38 left to go but the Warriors powered the offense back up to collect the 81-62 win.
Evergreen was led by 19 from senior Tyrell Stephens (Tacoma, Wash./Mt. Tahoma HS). Tolliver finished with 14 pints while Patrick Lewis (Bremerton, Wash./Olympic College) chipped in 11 points to go with a team-high eight rebounds. The Geoducks finished with 11 three-pointers on the game, the second straight night they hit double-digits from long range.
Lewis-Clark State was led by 15 off the bench from Joey Wayman. Spencer Drury, Darious Walker and Stewart all finished with 11 while Jeray Key and Nick Fromm added 10 points each in the win. The Warriors, who shot 56.6% from the field for the game, out-rebounded Evergreen, 39-25.
The Geoducks will continue the quest for the elusive first win next Friday when they take on Puget Sound in a neutral-site contest at the PLU Thanksgiving Classic. Tip-off with the Loggers is set for 4:00 pm at Olson Auditorium in Parkland, Wash.
