LSUS Pilots 'take ten' over Texas College, 97-87
11/18/03

After the LSUS Lady Pilots earned their first win of the season Tuesday night, the LSUS men's basketball team got their first taste of home court advantage against the Texas College Steers. With a sold-out crowd, the Pilots cruised to a 97-87 victory, and improved their record to 2-2 on the season.

Pilots leading scorer Rico Payne led the offence in the first half with 21-points. Eric Potts and Donald Walker each pitched in with eight points for the Steers. The high scoring affair ended at half-time with the Pilots leading 51-46.

The intensity and scoring picked up right where it left off from the
first half as the Pilots and Steers continued to put points on the board in the second half. In the end however, LSUS proved to be too much for Texas College. Derrick Sowell's offence ignited the LSUS fans with his two rim rattling slam-dunks and increased the Pilots lead to 10-points with two minutes remaining in the contest. The Pilots held off on to win their home opener by a final score of 97-87.

LSUS had four players reach double-digits in their victory over the Steers. Rico Payne ended with a game-high 26-points. Teammate Derrick Sowell followed with 22, Travis Cash had 20, and Derrick Rogers finished with 10.

The Pilots take to the road again Saturday to take on UT-Tyler at 8:00 p.m. Their next home game is not until December 8, when they will face Jarvis Christian College.

Issued by Allan Cantwell (sports@lsus.edu)