Northwestern State loses late lead as No. 2 LSU-Shreveport wins in photo finish

SHREVEPORT – Bossier City native Jalan West mustered a little of his hometown magic as he scored a season-high 24 points, but the effort wasn’t enough as LSU Shreveport pulled out an 85-84 win against Northwestern State in the final seconds of the Shreveport-Bossier Holiday Classic in Centenary’s Gold Dome.

NSU (3-6) led 84-80 with 1:09 remaining after a pair of West free throws, but the Pilots scored five points while not allowing the Demons a clean look.

After LSUS’ Benjamin Batts swished a 3-pointer to cut NSU’s edge to 1, D.J. Clayton scored two of his 20 points with a layup with 14 seconds remaining.

NSU didn’t get a clean look on its final possession as Ishmael Lane (17 points, 11 rebounds) fired a contested attempt, and the Pilots (ranked No. 2 in the NAIA) chalk up an exhibition win for them (regular-season loss for the Demons).

“There were so many crazy matchups that we really couldn’t stay in our wave system,” said NSU coach Mike McConathy. “We did some good things today, but we weren’t crisp at the end.

“LSUS is a very good team that’s well coached. We shoot 22 3-pointers (making just four), so we’ve got to make better decisions about the shots we take.”

The raucous crowd of about 1,500 swayed momentum in a game that featured 15 lead changes and 13 ties.

LSUS wrestled the lead away on a Clayton three-point play before Malik Metoyer (12 points, seven rebounds) answered two Pilots buckets and contributed an assist on a third basket to hand NSU an 82-80 advantage.

The Pilots made crucial 3-pointers despite making just 6-of-26 (ranked second in the NAIA in distance shooting) – none bigger than Batts’ trey.

Former Oklahoma State guard Stevie Clark led the way with 21 points and Josh Robinson chipped in 17 points and 12 rebounds to go with Clayton (20) and Batts (14).

Northwestern State blew away a 5-point Pilots lead with a 13-4 run to lead 73-67. Vontay Ott scored five of his seven points in the run, and Lane contributed four points.

But the Pilots scored the next six points, setting up the photo finish.

“Jalan still has a ways to go, and we pushed him to the limit with 36 minutes,” McConathy said of his guard that’s recovering from ACL tears in consecutive years. “He showed flashes tonight, but this is still a process.

“We’re not very smooth as a team in late-game situations right now, but this is good experience before we get into conference play.”

NSU started the game on an 8-2 run highlighted by two 3-pointers from West, who added five assists and four steals.

“I felt pretty good, I’m still getting back in the swing of things,” said West, who took pictures and entertained friends and family for about 30 minutes after the game ended. “It’s great to see everybody I know, to see some guys that I played street ball against.

“It’s horrible that we didn’t win, and I had two bonehead plays at the end. But it’s great experience for the next time we’re in a tight situation.”

LSUS, which averages 104 points per game, didn’t score in the first three minutes, but the Pilots pieced together a 10-0 run to lead 12-8 early.

The score went back and forth as much as the fast tempo with six ties and six lead changes, but a late run in the first half pushed the Demons to a 43-36.

NSU went on a 12-3 run to build a seven-point advantage (35-28), a lead that lasted until halftime.

West returned to the Gold Dome after playing a high-profile high school playoff game on Centenary’s home floor as a Bossier Bearkat. West led his team past Huntington, which touted eventual Arkansas Razorback Michael Qualls.