LSUS crowned RRAC Tournament champs for first time since 2012 - Mar 9, 2020
Third-ranked LSU Shreveport edged upset-minded Texas A&M-Texarkana, 79-75, on Saturday to claim the 2020 Raising Cane's RRAC Men's Basketball Tournament championship. The victory marked the first time the Pilots have won the event since taking back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012. 2020 Raising Cane's RRAC Men's Basketball Tournament Schedule/Results Tournament MVP Jeffrey Boyd (6'5''-G) stepped up for LSUS with 22 points including four three-pointers in the game. It was needed since the Eagles wouldn't go away. Riding a 13-game winning streak and featuring the RRAC Player of the Year, Tra'Quan Knight (6'3''-G),, LSUS was in control for most of the game and, with 9:50 remaining, Nate Levine sank a three-pointer that gave the Pilots their biggest lead of the game at 14. Despite playing for the third straight night, TAMUT showed no signs of fatigue and steadily clawed back into the game. The Eagles were only down 75-72 with 20 seconds left when they narrowly missed a tying three-pointer. LSUS' Kelvin Henry Jr (6'0''-PG-98) rebounded, and Kadavion Evans (6'0''-PG-97) made a pair of free throws to stretch the lead to five with six seconds to go. There was still enough time for TAMUT's Desmond Kennedy (6'3''-SG) to drive to the Pilots' basket and deliver a conventional three-point play to narrow the gap to two. Evans made two more free throws with a second remaining to start the celebration. Evans finished with 20 points, while Gilbert Thomas (6'7''-F-97) produced 19 for LSUS. The Eagles had four players in double-figures including Anthony McGee (6'1''-SG) (19), Kennedy (15), Shaheed Halk (6'3''-G) (14), and Connor Ouellette (14). LSUS automatically advances to the NAIA National Tournament with a 29-3 record. TAMUT's first season in program history comes to a close at 14-19.
All-Tournament MVP: Jeffrey Boyd (6'5''-G) of LSUS Player of the Year: Tra'Quan Knight (6'3''-G) of LSUS Defensive Player of the Year: Travious Grubbs (6'1''-SF) of Wiley Freshman of the Year: Victor Roper (6'8''-F/C) of Our Lady Lake Newcomer of the Year: Tra'Quan Knight (6'3''-G) of LSUS Coach of the Year: Cory Hitchcock of Southwest
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