COMING UP: at Utah (Exhibition), Friday, 7:30 p.m.; vs. Montana Tech, Monday, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: vs. No. 21 Northwest (L 76-71), vs. Evergreen (W 81-69)
LIVE TELEVISION/RADIO: Friday night’s game at Utah will be broadcast live nationally on the Pac-12 Networks with Rich Cellini handling the play-by-play and Joe Cravens providing color commentary – reaching over 48-million homes nationwide. In the Treasure Valley, the game can be watched with those with Dish Network service on channel 413. It marks the first regional or national TV broadcast of a C of I game since the 1996 NAIA Division II national championship game vs. Whitworth was carried by Prime Sports (now ROOT Sports), though the last 13 United Heritage Insurance Mayors’ Cup games have been broadcast locally by the KTVB Media Group. The game will also be broadcast on radio in the Salt Lake Metro area on ESPN 700 KALL-AM with Bill Riley and Jimmy Soto calling the action.
LIVE STATS/LIVE VIDEO: Live Stats of Friday’s game at Utah will be available online at
http://tinyurl.com/d6pt63h. Monday’s game with Montana Tech will feature Live Video via C of I’s athletic website at
http://yoteathletics.com/sports/2012/8/14/live_video.aspx?&tab=2, with Live Stats available at
http://www.sidearmstats.com/cofidaho/mbball/scoreboard.aspx.
PLAYING THE BIG BOYS: For the first time since the 2010-11 season, the Coyotes will take on an NCAA Division I opponent, traveling to Salt Lake City for an exhibition game vs.
Utah. The game, which will be a counting game for the Runnin’ Utes, will be the first-ever match-up between the squads. It is the sixth exhibition game for the Yotes against the top level of college basketball since the NAIA allowed exhibition games in 2004, with the Coyotes holding a 1-4 record in such games – vs. Boise State (W 87-66 in 2004), vs. Weber State (L 69-54 in 2004), vs. Boise State (L 91-64 in 2005), vs. Stanford (L 81-53 in 2007), vs. St. Mary’s (L 86-42 in 2010).
AGAINST PAC-12 TEAMS: The Coyotes have never played a counting game against a Pac-12 team, however, The C of I lost a 81-54 decision at Stanford during the 2007-08 campaign.
AGAINST DIVISION I FOES: Outside of the exhibition games, The C of I has played149 games against current NCAA Division I teams – with their last victory coming during the 2002-03 season in a 72-68 win at Idaho State. Over the last 80 years, the Yotes have ma 55-94 record against current D-I members – including multiple wins over Boise State, Sacramento State, Idaho State, Nevada, Seattle U., and Weber State.
ABOUT UTAH: The Runnin’ Utes (7-4) have already won more games this season than in 2011-12, when the squad struggled to a 6-25 record, but are coming off a 76-71 home loss to Cal State-Northridge. Second-year head coach Larry Krystkowiak – the former head coach of the Idaho Stampede and the Milwaukee Bucks, has a potent line-up featuring seven-foot post Dallin Cachynski (7.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg), 6-3 guard Jarred DuBois (14.1 ppg, 3.6 apg, .441 3FG%), and 6-6 wings Jordan Loveridge (12.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and Jason Washburn (9.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg). Utah averages 69 points a game – outscoring their foes by 11 points a night, while holding a plus-seven rebound edge.
NON-CONFERENCE FINALE: The Yotes have an opportunity on New Years’ Eve to even their non-conference record at 5-5, hosting
Montana Tech to end 2012. The Orediggers (8-5) head to the Treasure Valley for a pair of games (meeting Northwest Nazarene on Saturday), having dropped 2-of-3, including a 79-77 decision to Walla Walla. Tech is led by forwards Adam Gieger (18.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Daniel Simon (8.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg), along with guard Bryan Bock (12.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg) – with the Diggers averaging 75 points a game and connecting on nearly 42-percent of their three-point attempts. It is the 29th all-time meeting, with the Yotes holding a 19-9 series lead, though MT defeated the Yotes, 53-50, last season.
CLOSE CALLS VS. TOP-25: Close has been the word for the Yotes against Top-25 teams over the past two seasons – but The C of I is still looking to get over the hump. Friday night against No. 21 ranked Northwest marked the seventh time that the Coyotes have held a lead in the second half of a game against a Top-25 foe, but the Purple and Gold have failed earn the victory in each of the contests. The last win against a Top-25 team was in 2010-11, when the Coyotes earned wins against Eastern Oregon, Warner Pacific, and Oregon Tech.
RODRIGUEZ HANDLING THE POINT: Saturday night,
Miguel Rodriguez (Wilder, ID, Wilder HS) scored a career-high 19 points in the win over Evergreen – with the Yotes 3-0 this season when the junior scores in double-figures. Rodriguez had six assists in both games over the weekend – the third and fourth-straight games with at least six dishes, the first time a Coyote has recorded such a streak since Joe Green had six-plus assists in eight-straight games in 2004-05. He also cracked the 200 assist mark for his career, as Rodriguez has logged 202 assists as a Coyote – 29 away from reaching the career Top-10.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Post
Taylor Pruett (Arroyo Grande, CA, Allan Hancock CC) recorded his fifth double-double of the year on Saturday, including a season-high 15 rebounds in the win. The junior, who has logged seven-straight double-figure scoring games, has recorded the most double-doubles by a Coyote since Craig McGee had 13 double-doubles in 2008-09.
MAKING FREE THROWS: Over his last four games,
Sydney Donaldson (Coventry, England, Charis Prep) has averaged 15 points a night – including a career-high 21 vs. Evergreen on Saturday. A key to his success has come at the free throw line, where the sophomore has made 74-percent of his freebies (25-of-34) during the last four games. Donaldson had previously struggled at the stripe, making just 48-percent of his charity tosses in the first 11 games combined.
DEFENSIVE PRESSURE: The Yotes have made a name for themselves the past few seasons with their defense, and the 2012-13 season has been no different, as The C of I ranks second in the NAIA Division II in turnover margin and steals per game. Over the past six games, the Yotes have combined for just 62 turnovers, while forcing their opponents’ into 142 miscues.
3-POINT STREAK: The Coyotes CCC rival, Corban University, currently holds the all-time record for consecutive games with a three-pointer made, canning a trey in 857 games, with UNLV five games behind the Warriors. The C of I is in the rare company, having made a three-pointer in 752-straight games – dating back to a loss to Idaho State at the Real Dairy Shootout on Dec. 2, 1988. That game marks the lone contest in C of I history in which the Yotes have failed to make a three-pointer (since the line was established in 1986).
CCC/NAIA POLLS: For the third-straight polling period during the regular-season, the Yotes were not ranked among the CCC Top-6, as Eastern Oregon held the top spot, followed by Southern Oregon, Warner Pacific, Northwest, Oregon Tech, and Northwest Christian. In the latest NAIA Division II Top-25 Poll, Eastern Oregon remained at No. 2, with SOU climbing four spots to No. 12. Warner Pacific fell to No. 14, Northwest fell to No. 21, with OIT receiving votes. Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) is the No. 1 team in the poll, followed by EOU, Indiana Wesleyan, Embry-Riddle (Fla.), and Northwood (Fla.). Three preseason opponents’ were in the NAIA Division I poll – No. 7 Westminster and No. 11 Lewis-Clark State, with Montana Western receiving votes. The next Top-25 poll will be released on Tuesday, Jan. 8.
AROUND THE LEAGUE: Four teams (Eastern Oregon, Warner Pacific, Northwest, Southern Oregon) all sit tied for first in the CCC with just one league loss, with the Yotes two games back. Minimal action occurs around the loop this weekend – with Concordia and Warner Pacific heading to California for games, while Corban heads to the Treasure Valley for an exhibition game at Boise State.
CONFERENCE STATISTICS: As a team, the Yotes lead the CCC in blocks per game (4.3), steals per game (11.9), and turnover margin (+7.2). The squad is No. 7 in scoring average (69.4) and scoring defense (71.4), No. 8 in scoring margin (-2.0) and rebounds per game (34.9), ranking No. 9 in defensive field goal percentage (.432), field goal percentage (.405), assists per game (13.3), and three-pointers made per game (5.1), and No. 10 in free throw percentage (.620), three-point percentage (.278) and rebound margin (-8.5). Individually, both
Ben Van Lith (Eagle, ID, Coll. of So. Idaho) leads the league in steals per game (2.3), ranking No. 8 in both rebounds per game (7.5) and blocks per game (0.9), with Miguel Rodriguez No. 2 in steals per game (2.2), No. 6 in assists per game (3.9), and No. 9 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4). Taylor Pruett is No. 3 in blocks per game (1.5) and No. 4 in both rebounds per game (8.0) and steals per game (2.1),
Zach Peterson (Boise, ID, North Idaho Coll.) is No. 4 in free throw percentage (.848), with Sydney Donaldson is No. 3 in steals per game (2.1).
LEAGUE LEADERS: Scoring Average – Adam Herman (CU) 23.7, Michael Russo (NU) 19.2, Michael Greene (NU) 18.4, Eric Thompson (SOU) 17.2, Stephen Harris (WP) 16.9; Rebound Average – Harris 11.5, Herman 10.0, Greene 8.1, Taylor Pruett (C of I) 8.0, Anthony Brown (EOU) 7.8; Assists Average – J.D. Esters (EOU) 5.6, Jeff Bush (SOU) 4.9, Andrew Evans (CRB) 4.8, Anthony Holton (CU) 4.6, Harris 3.9.
GAME RECAP – NORTHWEST 76, C OF I 71: Michael Russo canned a go-ahead three-pointer with 25 seconds to play, helping Northwest University top The C of I, 76-71, Friday inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center. The Coyotes took a 64-57 lead with seven minutes left on a
Duncan Koga (Caldwell, ID, Caldwell HS) three, but the No. 21 ranked Eagles scored nine straight points to regain the lead. Taylor Pruett tied the score at 66-66 with a baseline jumper, with the lead extending to 71-68 on a pair of free throws from Sydney Donaldson. Michael Greene got NU with a point with a driving lay-up and following a defensive stop, the Eagles found Russo alone in the right corner, hitting his fifth three of the game. A Pruett runner game-tying jumper rimmed out with three-seconds left as the Eagles’ sealed the victory at the line. After a see-saw first 10 minutes, the Yotes took a 17-14 lead on a Miguel Rodriguez three-pointer, only to watch the Eagles score the next nine points, capped by a long Ryan McIntosh three, to lead 23-17 - extending the margin to 30-22 on a Ryan Cliett three. The C of I would hold NU to just one made field goal over the final five minutes, cutting the margin to 33-32 on a
Rodney Delgardo (Seattle, WA, Spokane CC) trey at the buzzer. A Russo three early in the second half gave the visitors a four-point lead, but the Yotes would pull even on five occasions - finally using a Delgardo lay-up and a long Zach Peterson triple to lead 55-50, pushing the margin to seven on the Koga trey, but could not hold on. Russo had 20 points and seven rebounds in the win, as NU made 12-of-17 shots from outside the arc and hit 57-percent of their field goal attempts overall. Greene had 20 points and 14 rebounds in the win – the Eagles’ eighth-straight over The C of I and their eighth-straight win overall. Delgardo had 18 points in the loss for the Yotes, with Pruett scoring 14 points, adding eight rebounds, and logging six steals.
GAME RECAP – C OF I 81, EVERGREEN 69: Both Miguel Rodriguez and Sydney Donaldson had career-high scoring nights, as The C of I evened up their CCC record with an 81-69 victory over Evergreen on Saturday night. The Yotes made 51-percent of their field goal attempts in the victory, while committing just nine turnovers for the second-straight night. Donaldson had five points in a 7-0 run to open the game, but the Geoducks rallied, taking their first lead at 21-20 on a Elzie Dickens lay-up midway through the half. Back-to-back three-pointers from Duncan Koga and Taylor Pruett gave the Yotes a 30-25 lead, with Rodriguez scoring the final four C of I points of the half as the hosts led 39-36 at the break. K.J. Hong hit a trio of free throws with 16 minutes to play, getting the Geoducks within 45-42, but four points from Donaldson and an emphatic transition dunk from Rodney Delgardo fueled a 9-0 run to get the lead to double-figures, as the Yotes won their fifth straight against Evergreen. Donaldson had 21 points and five steals in the win, with Rodriguez scoring 19 points and six assists, and Pruett logging 13 points and a career-high 15 boards.
ABOUT THE COACH: Rod Jensen is in his third season as head men's basketball coach at The C of I. He came to The C of I after five seasons at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he served as associate head coach for the last four years. His Coyote teams have posted a 30-45 overall record, advancing to back-to-back CCC postseason tournaments. Jensen has earned notoriety as a defensive coach, especially during his 19 years as a coach at Boise State University. From 1983-95, he was the top assistant to head coach, Bobby Dye, helping the Broncos rank among the Top-15 in the NCAA Division I in scoring defense for four-straight seasons, winning Big Sky regular-season championships in 1988 and 1989, along with Big Sky Tournament titles in 1988, 1993, and 1994. BSU teams advanced to the National Invitational Tournament in 1987 and 1991, and the NCAA National Tournament in 1988, 1993, and 1994. In 1995, Jensen became the head coach at Boise State - compiling a 109-93 overall record in seven seasons at the helm - recording the third-most wins in BSU history. During his tenure, the Broncos ranked among the NCAA Top-25 in scoring defense in 1998 and 1999, while winning the 1999 Big West East Division Championship. Jensen headed east in 2002, becoming an assistant coach for Pete Gillen at the University of Virginia, where he helped the Cavaliers to NIT appearances in 2003 and 2004 - leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in defensive field goal percentage. In 2005, he headed south to UNC-Greensboro, working for Mike Dement, where during his tenure, every player who exhausted their eligibility, graduated. A graduate of the University of Redlands in California, Jensen began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1980, serving as an assistant for two years, before spending one season at Penn State. Jensen and his wife, Brenda, have six grown children - daughters Nicole (and Jon Grzeskowiak), Emily (and Drew Hadley), and Kate, and son Tucker.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the Coyote men’s basketball program, head to the official homepage of the Yotes -
http://www.yoteathletics.com/index.aspx?path=mbball&tab=0.
