Lamar State College Port Arthur advanced to the second round of the NJCAA Region 14 basketball tournament for the fourth year in a row Tuesday.

Coach Lance Madison's Seahawks did it by easing past Tyler Junior College 65-53 at Alexander Gymnasium in Jacksonville, Texas.

It wasn't that close. Lamar State played ferocious defense in the first half and led 30-15 at intermission. The lead grew to 21 points at 42-21 with 14:44 left in the game.

"I thought our defense was probably the best it's been all year," Madison, the ninth-year LSCPA head coach, said. 

Kanntrell Burney scored 10 first-half points and finished with a team-high 14. Joe Lucien scored eight of his 13 points and grabbed all eight of his rebounds in the first half.

Tydan Archibald added eight points, seven rebounds and four of the Seahawks' 11 steals resulting from 14 forced TJC turnovers.

Desmond McQuain and Kobi Johnson added seven points each for the winners.

Tyler finished 8-14 and ninth in Region 14's regular season that included no non-conference prelims due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Now 8-14 for the season, 10th-place LSCPA advances to face regular season Region 14 champion Trinity Valley Community College, 20-1, in a tournament quarterfinal game at 1 p.m. Thursday in Alexander Gym.

TVCC defeated the Seahawks 94-86 in Port Arthur Feb. 24 and 87-68 on April 3 in Athens.