The Louisiana College men's basketball team returned to action Thursday night against American Southwest Conference rival LeTourneau University. While the effort was solid, the men just could not match LeTourneau score for score and fell short 91-77. The Wildcats will play their third game this week as on Saturday as they host rival ETBU at H.O. West Fieldhouse at 3pm.
The first half started slowly for the men as they struggled to score. One free throw from Devon Washington gave the men their only points for almost the first three minutes of the game. Others started to get involved as Trey Ames made a tough layup in the paint and on the next possession Kae'ron Baker lit it up for a fast break three pointer. While the Wildcats began to find their offensive rhythm, so did LeTourneau. It was a dog fight out the gate and the men saw themselves go into half trailing 49-38.
The second half saw the men get off to a solid start as Kae'ron Baker lit it up for back-to-back jumpers to bring the men in reach trailing 52-41. LeTourneau responded with points of their own and then the men responded right back with a big three pointer by Bailey Hardy bringing the contest to 53-45. Following the three, Jaylen Rhone boosted the Cats with a layup and free throw to bring them within five. This would prove to be the closest the Wildcats would get the contest as they could not get the defensive performance they needed down the stretch. Letourneau started to pull away in the last 10 minutes of the second half and finished off the 91-77 victory.
Kae'ron Baker and Jaylen Rhone both managed to put up 13 points of their own while Denzel Austin lead the team in scoring with 17 points. Devon Washington nearly notched his second double-double in as many games as he finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.
The men return to action this Saturday against East Texas Baptist University at H.O. West Fieldhouse to resume conference play. The game will take place at 3 P.M. Stay connected to Louisiana College men's basketball by following @LC_MBSK on Twitter. For general athletics news follow @LC_Wildcats on Twitter or like Louisiana College Wildcats on Facebook.
