Box Score
PINEVILLE, La. – For the first time since the 2007-08 season the Louisiana College men's basketball team is postseason bound. By virtue of their 83-80 win over American Southwest Conference rival East Texas Baptist, the Wildcats secured a berth in the 2012 ASC Championship Tournament in Belton, Texas, next week.

With longtime head coach Gene Rushing still sidelined due to complications arising from a hernia last week, the Wildcats were coached on Thursday by Athletic Director Darrell Payne, who played on an NCAA Division II national championship team at Tennessee-Chattanooga in the early 1980s.

LC (8-13, 8-11 ASC) jumped out to 13-point lead in the first half and led 39-37 at the break.

The game remained close in the second half with ETBU (14-10, 11-8 ASC) leading most of the way but never pulling more than five points ahead.

Senior guard Jelani Mitchell (St. Martinville, La./St. Martinville HS) gave the Wildcats a two-point lead with less than 30 seconds to play but at the 12-second mark LC fouled ETBU's Kerry McClahan.

Coming out of a time out, though, it was the Tigers' Jaron Joseph rather than McClahan who went to the line to attempt the free throws.

Luck, and technology, was on LC's side.

For the first time in school history, an instant replay monitor was placed at courtside which allowed the referees to review the play and place the correct player on the line.

McClahan made his first shot and missed the second.

LC senior Korey Salmon (Deville, La./Deville HS) grabbed the rebound, dished the ball quickly to Mitchell who avoided being fouled to find junior Danny Sumner (Baton Rouge, La./Central HS) cross-court.

Sumner also avoided an attempted foul by ETBU and threw the ball to a sprinting Romanaski Williams (Bunkie, La./Bunkie HS) in the paint.

Williams laid the ball in and the game went to the Wildcats.

Mitchell led all scorers with 24 points and added eight assists and four rebounds.

Williams was good for 14 points off the bench and senior Jarrod Jackson (Albany, La./Albany HS) put up 12.

Salmon finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, two assists, three blocks and two steals.

Jeremy LaGarde, a native of New Orleans, led the charge for ETBU with 23 points and nine rebounds.

LC returns to action Saturday at 3 p.m. with a home game against Centenary.