The Lamar State College Port Arthur Seahawks basketball team didn't sweat a 14-point halftime deficit Saturday afternoon, rallying behind Tydan Archibald's eight 3-pointers for an 89-82 win over Tyler Junior College at Wagstaff Gym in Tyler.
Earlier this year, the Seahawks overcame a 29-point TJC lead in a game in Port Arthur only to lose by two points.
"On the road, it's kind of exciting, to be in what they call 'enemy territory,'" said Archibald, a sophomore guard who tied the school record for most 3-pointers in a game, scoring 20 of his 28 points in the second half.
"Sometimes playing in the other guys' gym can get you going. Thankfully, it did today."
Freshman Joe Lucien backed up Archibald with 19 points, Kanntrell Burney scored 14 points, 10 in the first half, and Nash Golaszewski hit double digits with 11.
The Seahawks, now 6-13 in NJCAA Region 14 play, host Coastal Bend College in the final home game of the season at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31.
Lucien's biggest play came in combination with point guard Kobi Johnson with 50.4 seconds left. Johnson got the ball to the 6-foot-7 Lucien near the free throw line and as defenders collapsed around him, Lucien found Johnson wide-open under the basket for a lay-in that put LSCPA ahead 82-76.
"We hit some big shots," Coach Lance Madison said. "Ty hit some tough shots, three of them in a row."
Tyler led 47-33 at halftime, but the Seahawks came out of the locker room with a 14-0 run to tie at 47-all. TJC went on a 7-0 run next, which the Seahawks followed with a 6-0 run of their own. Archibald, shooting from several steps beyond the bonus arc, scored the trio of treys in a 70-second span, which trimmed a six-point, 64-58, TJC lead to one point at 68-67.
The Seahawks took the lead for good when Desmond McQuain sank a pair of free throws with 7:26 left to put LSCPA ahead 69-68. TJC cut a five-point LSCPA lead to one, at 75-74, before Archibald hit his final 3-ball with 2:14 remaining to make some breathing room.
Lamar State's defense held TJC to two points in a 2 minute, 23-second stretch that saw the Hawks' lead go from 75-74 to 85-76 with 26 seconds left.
"I felt like in the second half we finally got focused defensively," Madison said. "We rebounded the ball better. We played a little tougher and with a sense of urgency.
"What a great team win."