RAIDER MEN'S BASKETBALL (9-6, 4-5 CCC)
2 p.m. Friday – vs. No. 21 Lewis-Clark State (13-3, 8-2) | Live Stats
8:30 p.m. Saturday – vs. Walla Walla (2-12, 1-9) | Live Stats
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ASHLAND – The Southern Oregon men's basketball team has won four of its last five games and will attempt to climb over .500 in Cascade Conference play as the first half of the schedule concludes this weekend at Lithia Motors Pavilion.

The Raiders (9-6 overall, 4-5 CCC) host No. 21-ranked Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) (13-3, 8-2) at 2 p.m. Friday and Walla Walla (Wash.) (2-12, 1-9) at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, starting a stretch that will have them at home for seven of their next nine games. Sitting in seventh place, they're winless against the teams ahead of them in the standings, but LC State will be the first of that bunch to visit them in Ashland.

NAIA TOP 25: Three CCC teams appeared in the latest coaches' poll that was released Wednesday: College of Idaho at No. 5, LC State at No. 21, and Oregon Tech in the "receiving votes" category at No. 27 overall. C of I, which comes to town next weekend, dropped three spots due to a 59-56 home loss to Corban two weeks ago. LC State is down six spots after an 89-78 home loss to Bushnell last week. Tech is tied for first place in the loss column with C of I and has seven in a row, a streak that started with a double-overtime win over SOU last month.

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW: The Raiders' trip to Portland began with last Friday's 83-78 loss at fourth-place Multnomah, which got 18 points and 13 rebounds apiece from forwards Noah McCord and Keilan Torkornoo. Bryce Dyer logged team-highs of 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists as SOU trimmed an 11-point second-half deficit to one but couldn't get over the hump. The Raiders bounced back with Saturday's 83-51 win at Warner Pacific, holding the Knights to the lowest field-goal percentage (25.8) for any opponent in three years. No Raider played more than 20 minutes but six scored nine or more points, led by Elijah Jackson (12), Gabe Reichle (11) and Brady Rice (11).

BRIEFLY:

• In CCC play, the Raiders rank first in both 3-point makes per game (10.2) and 3-point percentage (37.9), and second in both 3-point makes allowed per game (4.9) and opponents' 3-point percentage (25.7). They have yet to hit fewer 3s than an opponent this season.
• The Raiders lead the CCC in defensive-rebounding rate, collecting 76% of opponents' misses. Bryce Dyer is a major part of that equation: The sophomore is No. 1 in conference play at 9.4 rebounds per game, ranking first in offensive boards (4.3) and seventh on the defensive glass (5.1). (The last Raider to lead the league in rebounding was NAIA Player of the Year Shea Washington in 2005-06.) Overall, he averages 10.6 points on 56% shooting and has recorded five double-doubles. His field-goal percentage is the seventh-best in the CCC and he is 15th in assists (2.3).
• Elijah Jackson leads SOU at 14.3 points and 2.4 assists per game, ranking ninth and 11th among CCC players in those respective categories. Only one other player in the conference is top-15 in both points and assists. Jackson is 11-of-23 from 3 in his last four games and has scored 12-plus in each of his last five.
• Since debuting six games ago, Etan Collins has supplied 9.0 points on 49% shooting and 4.3 rebounds per game. He'll go against his former school on Friday: he redshirted due to injury at LC State in 2022-23.
• Jacob Axmaker tops the CCC in 3-point accuracy with a 20-of-38 mark. The junior reserve is 8-of-13 over the last two weeks.
• Four of the Raiders' five CCC losses have been decided by five or fewer points.
• The Raiders have won 18 of their last 21 home games dating back to 2022-23.

ABOUT LC STATE: After their shocking home loss last Friday to Bushnell, the Warriors returned to form a night later while outscoring Corban – with whom they were tied for third place entering the matchup – 51-24 in the second half of an 82-55 win. It was a typically explosive performance for a team that ranks 18th nationally in offensive efficiency and posts 80.8 points per game. Alton Hamilton, a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward, stars inside with averages of 17.7 points and 9.3 rebounds, while guards MaCarhy Morris (14.9 points), John Lustig (10.9 points) and Taden King (10.5 points) all score in double figures. Dating back to last season, they've won eight consecutive CCC road games. They're 7-6 all-time against SOU and swept last year's season series.

ABOUT WALLA WALLA: The Wolves have lost eight straight conference games since opening the CCC slate with a five-point win at Evergreen. They're surrendering a shade under 90 points per game, and their offense has struggled at 42% from the field and 30% from 3. Soren Dalan, a 7-foot sophomore, is a force inside at 15.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, and guard Andew Vaughan (12.9 points) received all-conference honorable mention a year ago. SOU is 15-2 in the series against the Wolves and has never lost to them in Ashland.