The Louisiana Christian University men’s basketball team tripled last season’s win total (5 to 15) and more than quadrupled its conference tally (3 to 14) as it secured its first winning season in three campaigns with a 80-72 victory at Texas College on Saturday afternoon.
LCU (15-13, 14-10 in the RRAC) will be the sixth seed in the conference tournament and plays No. 3 Our Lady of the Lake in the first round of the single-elimination tournament Friday morning at 9:30 at the Rapides Parish Coliseum.
Saturday in Tyler, Texas, after recording a season-most 29 personal fouls in their matchup with the Steers on Thursday, the Cats flipped the script with their fewest of 2024-25 at just 14 while boxing out the home five in limiting them to a year-low of 22 rebounds given up en route to a +11 margin on the boards.
Devin Carter scored 26 points and led the Wildcats with six rebounds while posting a season-best three steals. Drew Tibbe scored 11 and led LCU with three assists, while Joseph Holloway added 10 points.
Chukwuemeke Nwaoshai blocked four shots, adding eight points and five rebounds.
TEXAS COLLEGE WOMEN 72, LCU 69 (OT): Kylei Leblanc and McKayla Price each had 20-point performances but the Texas College Steers bottled up Princis Goff to a career-low four points and upset the Wildcats in an extra period for the second time in three days.
Louisiana Christian (10-16, 10-14) will be the No. 6 seed in the RRAC women’s bracket and plays third-seeded LSUA Friday evening at 6:30 in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament at the Rapides Parish Coliseum.
Leblanc delivered season highs in terms of points (21), field goals (10-of-16), and steals (5) in addition to nine rebounds plus both of the team’s blocks. She was the contest’s top player in all five statistical categories listed above, putting an exclamation point on a potential RRAC Freshman of the Year worthy season.
Price shot 7-for-12 from the field as she posted 20 points for the second time as a Wildcat over a career-best 35 minutes, knocking down all six of her free throws and corralling eight boards.
DaKayla Howard scored 11 points. Goff may have been held in check on the scoreboard, but she still contributed in other ways by handing out a contest-best four dimes.