PINEVILLE, La. – The Louisiana College men's basketball lead saw an 11-point second half lead dissipate, but tough defense and clutch baskets late helped the Wildcats stay undefeated at home throughout the 2019 portion of the schedule with an 88-85 non-conference win over ASC-foe Hardin-Simmons Cowboys Friday evening at H.O. West Fieldhouse.
 
The Wildcats appeared ready to pull away from the Cowboys as a 15-5 run in the early portion of the second half helped turn a one-point LC lead into a 60-49 Wildcat advantage as Jaylen Rhone completed an old-fashioned three-point play with 13:40 remaining in the contest. HSU had an answer with a 23-9 run to take a three-point lead with less than 7:30 left, setting up for the late game drama. With the game tied at 80-80 and just 2:30 remaining, K.D. Wallace picked the pocket of a Cowboy, and went to the rim himself to give the Wildcats the lead for good. After a miss on the other end, KJ Bilbo found himself open above the arc and drained the three-pointer that gave LC the breathing room needed to hold off HSU.
 
"This was a good win for our team," said Louisiana College head coach Reni Mason. "We do have some things to work on, especially with our transition defense. We let them back in the game when I thought we had a chance to extend the lead out to 15, but you do have to credit Hardin-Simmons some for continuing to fight. However, we have to learn to keep the pressure on instead of allowing a team to work its way back into a game. That said, the guys responded to the challenge and came out of the game with a hard-fought victory. It's a good win and now we have a quick turnaround against a tough team tomorrow afternoon."
 
Kae'ron Baker was eight of 16 from the field, including three of five from deep, to finish with a game high 21 points. He also added five assists and four steals. KJ Bilbo was six of nine, three of six from distance, to finish with 18 points. K.D. Wallace scored 16 points, making seven of his 14 attempts. Jaylen Rhone closed out the leading scorers with ten points, five rebounds, and four assists.
 
The Wildcats (4-2) head to Shreveport tomorrow afternoon to play the back half of the back-to-back, looking to sweep the home-and-home season series against Centenary. The Wildcats opened the 2019-20 season with a 71-66 win on November 12^th. Tip-off against the Gents (2-4) is set for 3:00 P.M. at the Gold Dome.