LCC Men’s Basketball Picks Up Two Wins

(Lamar, Colorado; January 11, 2016)  After three weeks of break between fall and spring semesters, Lopes were back in action with two home games this past weekend.  LCC picked up two wins from the weekend when they played Eastern Wyoming College on Friday and Western Nebraska Community College on Saturday.

The Lopes faced Eastern Wyoming College on Friday night.  Each team only had eight players suited up for the game as both were missing players from their regular rosters due to injuries, suspensions, and eligibility issues.

After a red-hot start by the Lopes, EWC responded back with their own run.  Teams exchanged points entire first half and it was knotted at 38 a piece at the break.  The second half started in a similar fashion but EWC was able to jump ahead with an eleven point lead.  LCC was not going to waive the white flag yet, however.  Great off-the-bench spark from freshman Joseph Raff (12 points) brought in back to back to back 3 points shots, and the Lopes were back into the game in no time. The Lopes carried that momentum to gain a two possession lead throughout the rest of the second half.

The Lopes ended with a 85-82 victory and got their first region IX win of the season.

“We knew it was going to be hard,” said LCC Head Coach Serg Fenerci.  “We knew the first game from a long break is always the toughest one the play.  On top of that, we were missing several key players from the lineup.  But the guys stepped up and made big plays when we needed them to.”

Eastern Wyoming College hit deep threes and got LCC out of their game a little bit, but the Lopes did a good job staying composed and making plays on both ends of the floor.

Friday night was a great one for statistics, with six Lopes in double figures for scoring.  Sophomore point guard Jon Dunmyer and shooting guard Wayne Stewart led the team with 16 points each. Sophomore forward Chris Lewis had another double double, his eighth in the season, with 13 points and 17 rebounds.  He also led the team in assists with 8.

On Saturday afternoon, the Lopes faced the Western Nebraska Cougars.

“This game was going to be a lot different than the EWC game on Friday night. EWC was outside oriented team versus Western Nebraska who is physical inside,” said Coach Fenerci.

As he suspected, the game started with several physical plays on both ends of the floor.  WNCC scored on transition and inside while LCC hit long jumpers all throughout the first half.  Going into the break, it was 49-46 LCC.  WNCC kept their hot streak on transition while LCC struggled with their offense during the first ten minutes of the second half, which allowed WNCC to gain a twelve point lead.  LCC began changing defenses to slow the Cougars down and began hitting shots to get back into the game. The Lopes were able to take the win with a score of 95-90.

Lopes came up with a win behind strong performances from sophomore point guard Jon Dumyer, who brought in 32 points, and freshman guard Wayne Stewart, who made 25 points. The duo combined for 13 for 22 behind the arc.

“It was overall great team effort but I have to put Jon (Dunmyer) and Wayne (Stewart) a side. Jon played like a leader and made big shots during the stretch while Wayne had seven made three point attempts,” said Coach Fenerci.

The Lopes improved to 11-6 (2-2) in the season with 2-0 over the weekend.  The team will face a non-region opponent, Air Force prep, on the road on Tuesday, January 12, and will host Laramie County Community College on Saturday, January 16, in Lamar. The tip off for the game is 4:00pm.

Admissions for 18 and under is FREE.  Lopes are looking forward to seeing their fans in the stands.

For more information or a full schedule of games, visit www.golopes.com.