PINEVILLE, La. – The WCU men's basketball team held off a late push from Louisiana Christian to earn an 82–71 road victory Saturday afternoon.
"We're a little upset that we couldn't keep or even extend the lead that we worked so hard to get," said Assistant Coach Phillip McCray. "Of course we're happy about the win, but we know we must be better and get better in those situations. We always look great when we play aggressively, but when we relaxed, LCU executed well and made their runs. Coach Zach Barnes did a great job preparing those guys for us. We knew they wanted to win this game and had the players to do it. We had to be on point, we had to fight through adversity, and we had to play together in order to win this game."
Carey opened the game strong, with four different Crusaders contributing to a 15–4 lead over the first six minutes. LCU responded with a surge of their own, using back-to-back three-pointers to pull even at 17-all midway through the half.
The next stretch featured several ties and lead changes before
Travis Williams knocked down a three to give WCU a 28–24 advantage. The Wildcats trimmed the deficit to two, but the Crusaders answered with a 7–0 run sparked by five straight points from
Jamar Jenkins and another basket from Williams. The teams traded scores the rest of the way, and Carey carried a 39–31 lead into halftime.
The Crusaders came out of the break much like they started the game, opening the second half on a 10–2 run to build a 16-point cushion. WCU appeared in full control after stretching the lead to 61–39 with just under 15 minutes remaining. However, LCU once again clawed back, slowing the Carey offense and mounting a rally.
Over the next eight minutes, the Crusaders scored only two points—both from the free-throw line—while the Wildcats cut the margin to 63–60.
Troy Dunn halted the drought with a jumper, sparking a renewed WCU push.
Randarius Hughes and Dunn followed with back-to-back layups to restore a nine-point lead with six minutes left.
LCU made one final charge, twice pulling within four, the last time at 73–69 with just over two minutes to play. Carey closed the door from there, finishing the afternoon on a 9–2 run to secure the victory.
Malik Franklin led four Crusaders in double figures with 13 points. Dunn added 12, while Jenkins and
Javeon Gordon each scored 11. Hughes anchored the interior with a season-high 16 rebounds.
WCU returns to action on Tuesday, November 18, making the short trip across town for an exhibition matchup at Southern Miss. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside Reed Green Coliseum.
