The MCC Pioneer Men had multiple opportunities to pull an upset at home on Thursday night but couldn't make the plays it needed to down the stretch in a 76-69 loss to Lake Region State. The Pioneers took a 57-54 lead with 7:45 to go in the game before the Royals rallied and used late free throw shooting and timely baskets to earn a hard fought victory at the MCC Centra. 

The Royals got a huge night from MSU-Billings transfer Clarence Daniels (Brooklyn Park, MN) with 27 points (8-14 FG, 1-1 3's, 10-13 FT) and 13 rebounds. Anthony Davis (Minneapolis, MN) added 17 points (6-10 FG, 2-3 3's, 3-6 FT) and Ben Hoverson (Grand Forks, ND) added 11 (4-10 FG, 3-9 3's).

The Pioneers were led by Ray Daniels (Las Vegas, NV) with 25 points (8-17 FG, 0-3 3's, 9-10 FT), 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Paul Gakmar (Perth, Australia) had 15 points (5-7 FG, 0-1 3's, 5-7 FT) and a team high 9 rebounds. Blessing Adesipe (Houston, TX) added 13 points (4-8 FG, 2-4 3's, 3-4 FT) and 4 rebounds. 

Inside the Box Score

• The Royals shot 26-52 (50%) from the field and the Pioneers shot 24-56 (43%). The Royals were 8-21 (38%) from 3-point line and the Pioneers hit only 3-16 (19%)
• The Pioneers were 18-24 from free throw line and the Royals were 16-26. 
• The Royals outrebounded the Pioneers 34-32 and each team had 10 offensive boards. 
• MCC committed 19 turnovers to 15 for the Royals. 

The Royals moved to 9-5 in MonDak Conference play and 14-8 overall. The Pioneers fell to 3-11 in MonDak Conference play and 6-17 overall. MCC will host league leading NDSCS Wildcats on Sunday afternoon at 3:00 PM.