BOX SCORE
CLARKSVILLE, AR - The Louisiana College men's basketball team pulled out a dramatic 77-76 win over the Ozarks Eagles on Thursday night in Clarksville, AR to remain in second place in the American Southwest Conference standings.
 
The Wildcats, who led 41-34 at halftime, stretched their lead to 12 points at the 17:53 mark of the second half when freshman guard Steve Evans' layup made the score 46-34.
 
LC would hold strong to that second half lead until an 18-9 run by the Eagles late in the second half put the Ozarks ahead 74-73 with less than a minute left to play.
 
LC's AJ Gaines, Jr. would then hit a jumper with 30 seconds left to give LC the lead, but Eagles' guard Ricky Allen immediately answered on the next possession with a jumper of his own to give the Ozarks 76-75 lead with 20 seconds remaining in regulation.
 
However, with seven seconds remaining, LC sophomore point guard Kevin Cottonham was fouled by Josh Ferrell, setting up an opportunity for the Wildcats to take the lead.
 
Cottonham connected on both free throw attempts, and on the Eagles' ensuing possession, Ferrell missed a potential game-winning layup as time expired to secure the win for the Wildcats.
 
LC was led by Cottonham's 19 points and six assists and Gaines' 15 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore forward Kevin Lewis added 13 points while freshman guard Steve Evans had another outstanding night coming off the bench, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds for the Wildcats.
 
Eagles' forward Ted Beard was outstanding, going for a game-high 22 points and 19 rebounds.
 
LC moves to 8-4 overall and 8-2 in ASC play, giving them a firm hold of second in the ASC standings behind UT-Dallas, who remained undefeated in conference play with their 70-58 win over Mary Hardin-Baylor on Thursday night. The Wildcats will take on UT-Tyler in Tyler, TX on Saturday in a matchup scheduled for 3:00 p.m.