BEEVILLE, Texas – For the second time this season, the Lamar State College Port Arthur men's basketball team found that there's nothing good to be found south of Houston this season.
Coastal Bend College topped the Seahawks 109-97 on Wednesday night as the two teams played a rescheduled NJCAA Region 14 game, re-set from February 2 after the LSCPA team van was involved in a traffic accident.
On Wednesday night, it appeared the Seahawks would seek redemption for their unfortunate experience on the road earlier this month. The Cougars had a different outcome in mind, though, as they fought for their postseason life. With just three games left in the regular season, the Cougars, coming into Wednesday night with a paltry 3-10 league record, needed to win if they hoped to reach the Region 14 tournament in early March.
Early on, the battle went back and forth with LSCPA taking a six-point advantage, 23-17, on a Darion Chatman 3-pointer with 10:37 left in the first half. Coastal Bend went on a run of its own, moving out to a 26-24 lead with 8:24 left until the halftime break.
The two teams see-sawed to the halftime buzzer with freshman guard Terrance Minor hitting a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Hawks a 46-45 lead.
Turnovers on the offensive end and 3-pointers from Coastal Bend College's hot hands put the Seahawks on their heels by the midway point of the second half. As the Cougars extended their lead to double digits, the Seahawks went to their pressure defense with some success. Ultimately, it was too little, too late as the Cougars maintained their offensive attack for the 13-point final margin.
Freshman Jamyus Jones, who only had two points in the first half, exploded in the final 20 minutes of the game, scoring a team-high 20 points total, while Minor added 18 points with three assists and five steals.
Devaughn Thomas scored 16 with four rebounds for the Hawks, and Nathan Bailey hit for 11 points with five boards. Sophomore Devin Ellis just missed a double-double performance, scoring nine points with 11 rebounds.
The Seahawks, who are now 17-10 overall and 7-7 in Region 14 play, finish their regular-season road schedule with a game against Angelina College this Saturday in Lufkin. That game tips off at 4 p.m.