Both Lake Region State College basketball teams lost on the road to United Tribes Technical College on Thursday.
The women had been 11-3 in their previous 14 games, but one of those losses came to UTTC, and they couldn’t find a way to reverse the result. It was a higher-scoring game than is typical for the Royals; they’re a defense-minded team, yet they lost 70-66. It was the most points they’d allowed since Nov. 29.
The highlight of the game was Brooke Kleinig, who had a whopping 25 points. The only other time she’s reached 20 this season was on Nov. 4. But no other Royal reached a double-digit point total. Tiyahna Trottier had nine, while Kyla Fitzgerald and Anisah Wolf each had eight.
The Royals trailed 20-18 after the first quarter, but an ugly second quarter set them behind 39-27 at the half. They outscored the Thunderbirds by eight in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to undo the hole they’d dug for themselves in the second quarter.
UTTC outshot LRSC 39.1% to 32.9%. The Thunderbirds shot only 6-of-33 from deep, but they made all 10 of their free throw attempts. The Royals outrebounded them 50-40.
LRSC is still in third place in the Mon-Dak Athletic Conference with a 10-8 conference record, a game ahead of Dawson Community College.
In the men’s game, the Royals led 45-38 at halftime but were outscored by 21 in the second half and lost 87-73. It was a similar story as many of the men’s losses this season, with a strong start that they were unable to maintain through a full game.
UTTC made nearly half of its field goal attempts, while LRSC made less than 40%. The Royals’ arguable two best players, Ginuwine Tropnas and Blessed Barhayiga, both had great games with 21 and 20 points, respectively. It was a double-double for Tropnas, who also had 15 rebounds. But the Royals shot just 1-of-12 from deep, while the Thunderbirds shot 12-of-35.
The Royals are in second-to-last place with a 4-14 conference record, a game ahead of last-place Bismarck State College. They’ve lost two in a row after winning two in a row.
Both teams have three games left in the season. They’ll be back in action on Sunday afternoon at Devils Lake Sports Center against Miles Community College.
Joseph “Mojo” Hill is a reporter covering Lake Region sports for the Devils Lake Journal. Contact him on Twitter @mojohill22 or at jhill@devilslakejournal.com for any tips, questions or story ideas.
