With their ASC Tournament hopes on the line, the Louisiana College Wildcats, coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to UT-Tyler, dropped a crucial game on the road against East Texas Baptist by a final score of 85-78.
 
Despite a nice defensive effort that saw the Wildcats force 30 turnovers and outscore the Tigers 32-14 in points off turnovers, LC was unable to stop ETBU from scoring in crucial moments, as they finished the game shooting a tremendous 54% (27-50) from the field.
 
Erby Thompson led the way for the Tigers with 22 points, highlighted by a 13-14 effort from the free-throw line.
 
LC's two freshmen sensations, Anthony Gaines, Jr. and Kevin Cottonham were once again outstanding, as Gaines, Jr. had 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals while Cottonham finished with a team-high 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.
 
Senior Danny Sumner (12 points, 2 steals) and junior Doc Welch (13 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals) also hit double figures for the Wildcats.
 
ETBU also managed to outrebound the Wildcats 32-13 on the defensive end, which resulted in only 13 second chance points for LC.
 
Now 5-10 on the year and 5-8 in conference play, LC faces a must-win scenario when they return home on Saturday, February 2 for an ASC matchup against LeTourneau. That game will begin at 3 p.m. and is part of LC's annual “Fill The Fieldhouse” promotion.