No. 1 Locked In: Pilots Power Past Saints in Season Finale

SAN ANTONIO, TX- LSU Shreveport closed out the regular season in championship form Saturday afternoon, pulling away in the second half for an 81-70 victory over Our Lady of the Lake.

With the win, the Pilots improve to 23-5 overall and 20-2 in Red River Athletic Conference play, securing the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament. The Saints fall to 16-11 overall and 15-7 in league play.

LSUS was powered by a dominant interior presence and relentless work on the glass, outrebounding OLLU 50-32 and scoring 20 second-chance points. The Pilots also controlled the paint, holding a 46-28 advantage inside.

Hayden Brittingham led the way with a double-double, finishing with 21 points, 11 rebounds and three steals. He came up big in key moments down the stretch, scoring on back-to-back possessions during a critical late run to help LSUS regain control.

Emareyon McDonald added 17 points, including a pivotal three-pointer early in the second half that gave the Pilots their first lead since the opening minutes. Khi Wallace posted a double-double of his own with 16 points and 11 rebounds while anchoring the defense with three blocks. Devonte Austin was active on the glass, grabbing 10 rebounds, and Alexzaye Johnson orchestrated the offense with nine points, eight assists and six rebounds. James Johnson contributed seven rebounds, helping LSUS dominate the boards.

The Saints came out sharp in the opening half, building a 12-2 lead in the first three minutes behind the play of James Irwin and Isaiah Moore. OLLU stretched its advantage to as many as 12 points and carried a 43-42 lead into halftime after McDonald buried a three-pointer with four seconds remaining to cut the deficit to one.

LSUS wasted no time seizing momentum in the second half. Wallace opened the period with a dunk to give the Pilots the lead, and Austin followed with a three-pointer to push the advantage to four. The game remained tight, featuring four lead changes and three ties, until the Saints briefly regained the lead at 62-60 with just under eight minutes to play.

From there, the Pilots imposed their will. Brittingham scored on a pair of strong finishes inside, and LSUS used a decisive 14-6 stretch to create separation. Wallace's tip-in with 1:45 remaining pushed the lead to 10, and Brittingham calmly knocked down free throws in the final minute to seal the 11-point victory.

For OLLU, James Irwin recorded 12 points and seven rebounds, while Isaiah Moore and Matthew Gonzalez each finished with 11 points. Santiago Ochoa added nine points and five assists, and Barack Holland chipped in nine points and five rebounds.

LSUS shot 46.9 percent from the field and limited the Saints to 39.3 percent shooting. Despite being outscored 19-11 in points off turnovers, the Pilots' rebounding edge and efficiency inside proved to be the difference.

With the regular season complete, the top-seeded Pilots will host No. 8 seed Texas A&M-San Antonio in the RRAC Men's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinal on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. inside The Dock in Shreveport.

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