Several cylinders may have malfunctioned by Lamar State College Port Arthur effectively got the ball inside to post man Elijah Pittman and defeated Baton Rouge College, 70-61, Monday night.

  Lamar State, 11-3 and 3-0, found itself on the bottom end of a 10-0 run to start the game but the Seahawks patiently allowed the game to come to them as they worked the ball inside. The 6-8 sophomore Pittman managed 26 points and six rebounds to lead the winners while 6-3 teammate Shondel Stewart added 17 points and five rebounds.

  Also contributing for LSC-PA were Derrick Dawson with 14 points and seven assists and Jayon James with four points and six assists.

  The Bears, who are members of NJCAA Region 23, fell to 1-11 overall with the loss.

  “We’ve got to continue to develop this team much more than we have so far,” a somewhat disappointed Lamar State coach Matt Cross said of his Seahawks, rated No. 19 in the most recent NJCAA national rankings. “If we’re going to continue to be a top 20 team, we’re going to have to play a whole lot better next semester.

  “We really played with no energy at all tonight on defense and we didn’t shoot the ball well from the perimeter, either.”

  The Seahawks made only 3 of 14 three-point field goals but penetrated Baton Rouge’s interior well enough to establish a 36-28 advantage by halftime.

  Another reason for Lamar State’s struggles may have been the focus toward the Seahawks’ next opponent. LSC-PA entertains Baytown’s Lee College (7-3 and 0-2) on Wednesday night in the Carl Parker Center at 7:30 p.m. That game will be the Seahawks’ final game of any kind until Jan. 11.

  “Lee definitely is going to be a very dangerous team,” Cross said. “We will be a lot more road-weary than them coming into that game. They will be 0-2 in the league and they will be a desperate team, wanting to win very badly…. We will need the support of our fans and we will need to be at our best.”