ASHLAND, Ore. – Tim Weber scored a game high 21 points as No.16 ranked Southern Oregon University handed the College of Idaho their second loss in as many nights, winning 77-74 inside Riehm Arena.
Josh Wilson recorded the only double-double of the contest, scoring three of his 15 points on a triple early in the first half to give the Yotes (13-3, 2-2) a 16-10 advantage. Jordan O'Byrne capped the 9-0 C of I run with a three of his own, giving the Coyotes their largest lead of the game with 13:17 remaining in the first half at 19-10.
The Raiders (13-2, 3-1) clawed back into the ballgame, eventually taking the lead in the first half when Kenny Meyer made one of the five SOU three-point field goals on the night.
Marko Kovacevic scored two of his nine points on a layup with 17:02 left in the game to give the Yotes their last lead of the game at 39-38.
C of I ended up tying the game seven times after the Kovacevic layup but was unable to get over the hump and regain the lead.
Southern Oregon grabbed the lead for good when Ben Desaulnier hit a three with 3:13 left in the game.
Trailing by six with just over two minutes remaining, Joey Nebeker hit a spot-up three as he was fouled, eventually converting the free-throw for the rare four-point play.
Although the Yotes held Southern Oregon to just one point over the final 2:31 of the game, C of I was unable to put another tally on the board after the Nebeker quadruple point play.
The Coyotes shot 45-percent from the field on 25-of-56 shooting, including 6-of-22 from behind the arc but fell short of Southern's 51-percent for the game.
Demetrius Perkins scored a team-high 17 points with Sydney Donaldson adding 14 and Nebeker scoring 12.
C of I closed out the 2014 calendar year with a record of 29-5, including a perfect record inside the state of Idaho.
The Coyotes will be back in action after the New Year, taking on Warner Pacific, Jan. 2, at 7:30 p.m.. inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
