CALDWELL, Idaho –
Talon Pinckney scored three of his game-high 16 points in an 8-2 run late in the contest, as the College of Idaho opened up Domino's Classic play with a 70-62 win over Lewis-Clark State in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
The Yotes (2-3) ended a 3-game losing streak with the win, using a commanding 43-31 edge on the glass and converting 11-of-15 free throws in the second half.
The No. 24 ranked Warriors (6-1) jumped out to a 13-8 lead, getting early triples by Cory Dollarhide, Race Martin and Andre McGowan – but made just four more long range attempts the rest of the night. C of I answered with a 9-0 run, including back-to-back Pinckney lay-ups, to grab a lead they would never relinquish.
C of I extended a lead to 37-26 early in the second half, but L-C clawed back in the game with a pair of Cordel Hankerson buckets and a Derrick White triple that got the Warriors within 43-42 with 12 minutes left in the contest. Enter the Yotes underclassmen, as freshman
Justin Saunders splashed a triple and
Evan Henning had a driving basket and a 3-ball, part of an 11-3 run that extended the margin to 54-45 at the 8-minute mark.
The visitors made one final surge, as a Race Martin 3-pointer cut the deficit to 61-57, but the Coyotes matched the bucket with a
Nate Bruneel trey and made 6-of-8 free throws to seal the victory.
Aziz Leeks had 10 points and tied a career-high with 13 rebounds;
Keun Palu-Thompson had 10 points and nine boards; with both Bruneel and Henning each scoring eight.
Martin led L-C with 14 points and reserve Damek Mitchell scored 10 points – as C of I held the Warriors 32 points below their season scoring average in the first loss of the season.
The Yotes look for a weekend sweep tomorrow, hosting Montana Tech at 7 p.m. – live on 99.1 FM ESPN Boise. Tech dropped a 69-66 decision to Multnomah University in the opening game of the day.
