Lund scores 21 off the bench as LRSC beats TMCC 115-92

Article by Sam Herder, Devils Lake Journal Sports, published Dec. 11, 2015.

A valuable tool for a head basketball coach at any level is having a deep bench. For the Lake Region State College men's basketball team, the Royals have had solid, balanced scoring from their starting five unit.

They've also seemed to have a new player every game come off the bench and give a spark. Wednesday, it was freshman guard Jon Lund's turn.

Lund scored 21 points off the bench as LRSC beat Turtle Mountain Community College 115-92.

"Jon is just a tough, hard-working kid," Royals head coach Jared Marshall said. "He comes ready to play every practice. He's an energy guy who does everything right. You love seeing a kid like that who understands his role and gives everything he has to the program. I love what he brings to the team."

Again, the Royals had balanced scoring, with six players having at least 13 points. AJ Nywesh scored 20 while Dawson Peterson added 13 and grabbed 12 rebounds.

LRSC exploded for 64 points in the second half after leading 51-41 at halftime.

"We've already proved we can score the ball, I want to see if we can start getting stops and dial in and lock in on that," Marshall said. "We're starting to get a little thin on the bench. We're getting some injuries and guys getting sick. We need some guys to step up and they played a lot of minutes tonight. They did some things good and some bad just from not being used to being in the game. Something we need to work on is getting that bench going for us."

While usually getting that one spark from the bench per game, Marshall said he's looking for that number to go up with conference games approaching.

"I think everybody at this point in time over the year has scored in double figures," Marshall said. "I like that we can usually get one (off the bench). I'd like to start getting that to two and three once conference comes."

The efficiency on the offensive end continued Wednesday. The Royals shot 56 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from beyond the arc.

LRSC takes a break midseason after Sunday's game at Mayville JV. The Royals won't play again until Jan. 3. While it'll be a nice stretch to get healthy and get the legs back, Marshall doesn't want to regress what's been happening on the court.

"We're shooting the ball well and attacking," he said. "When we're playing hard, we're tough to beat. We're going to keep pushing and pressing after the New Year. But I'm happy, 13-3, can't be upset about that."