Men Tangle with Top of the East

1/25/2017 6:28:00 PM

By: LC Sports Information

The Louisiana College men picked up their first conference win of the season last week in a 110-106 shootout with Ozarks, but despite two double-doubles against UT Dallas on Saturday, the Wildcats split their pair of ASC games last week, leaving them on the outside looking in for the ASC tournament. The Wildcats take to the road for two of their final three road games of the season, and the first set of four games against UT Tyler and LeTourneau, the top two teams in the ASC East standings.

UT Tyler | 12-6 (6-4) 2nd ASC East

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UT Tyler comes into Thursday's game with the Wildcats riding a four game winning streak and having won five of their last six games., the lone loss a 90-85 defeat at the hands of Concordia. The Patriots rank in the middle of the pack in terms of scoring at 78.8 points per game but have the conferences best defensive unit, only allowing 73.8 points to their opponents this season. The rank seventh in the conference in field goal shooting at 45.7% and tenth in free throw percentage making 69.6% of their shots from the line. Their leading scorer is also their leader in rebounds, junior forward Melvin Anthony, who puts in 14.0 points per game and pulls down 8.0 rebounds per game on the season. Two other players, Jordan Francis and Verlo Levels, also are averaging double digit points this season.

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LeTourneau | 14-4 (7-3) 1st ASC East

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The Yellowjackets will take on ETBU Thursday night in Longview before hosting the Wildcats on Saturday afternoon. The have a conference best 10-game winning streak including an 11-1 record at their home gym Solhiem Arena. Their last loss was the Jackets only home loss of the season on December 12 to Hardin-Simmons. The Yellowjackets have five players averaging double figures this season, led by Alec Colhoff with 14.8 points per game, followed closely by Nate West and Jeff Martin at 13.5 and 13.4 respectively. LeTourneau is outscoring their opponents by a conference best 9.2 points per game thanks in large part to their 73.0 free throw percentage, third highest in the ASC.

LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS

Louisiana College | 4-11 (1-8) 5th ASC East

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The Wildcats welcome back Steve Evans and John Parker to the rotation after both missed last week and Evans being out since January 5th. The return of the talented senior and sophomore, combined with the outstanding inside presence of Raheem Regis, two-time ASC East Player of the Week, and freshman Taylan Grogan provide more dynamics for the Wildcats on offense. With Evans and Parker missing time this year, the Wildcats have gotten deeper bench presence from players like Jacquez Coleman, Travis Schultz, and Lejawon LeBlanc, who all had career best performances last week. LC ranks tenth in the conference in scoring at 75.9 points per game and ninth in scoring defense allowing 79.5 points. The Wildcats have struggled from the free throw line this year ranking next to last in free throw percentage but are the fourth best field goal shooting team in the conference. Regis continues to lead the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding on the season averaging 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Taylan Grogan, one of three players, including Regis to play in every game this season, is averaging exactly 10.0 points per game and Evans, is at a 13.8 per game average in eight games player and Parker at 11.0 in 11 games played.

Tip off for the game Thursday is set for 7:30 pm after the conclusion of the women's game and 3pm on Saturday in Longview against LeTourneau. LC will play UT Tyler and LeTourneau each twice over the next two weeks. Follow the game with the the links provided above or on @LC_MBSK on Twitter.

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