Box Score
CALDWELL, Idaho – Erica Martinez scored 29 points, including 8-of-8 free throws in the final minute, leading The College of Idaho past Northwest University, 80-73, in the quarterfinals of the Cascade Conference Championships, presented by U.S. Bank.
The Lady Yotes (16-11) improved to 15-0 at home all-time in the postseason under head coach Reagan Rossi, but will hit the road for the semifinals – traveling to No. 21 Oregon Tech on Friday night.
NU (18-13) did not make it easy for C of I, getting a pair of Sanda Milovic baskets in a 13-4 run to take a 63-60 lead inside the final seven minutes. Martinez answered for the Yotes, scoring back-to-back buckets to give C of I the lead, then iced the game at the foul line.
Early on, the Eagles got five early Jordan Asher points in an 11-5 run to open the game, before Chakala Carthen rallied C of I. The senior had 13 of her 19 points in the opening half and 16 of her school-record tying 24 rebounds in the period, as the Yotes responded to take a 41-35 lead to the break.
Elisha Hensey had 13 points in the victory, as C of I won despite making just 6-of-28 shots from outside the arc and converting just 22-of-38 shots from the foul line. The Yotes, however, held a 51-39 edge on the glass, including 21 offensive rebounds – 11 by Carthen.
Milovic led NU with 20 points, with Alyssa Dario scoring 13 and Asher 12. The Eagles struggled from outside, making just 4-of-23 three-point tries, including 1-of-11 in the second half.
C of I will meet OIT for the third time this season – having defeated the Lady Owls in Caldwell in December, with Hensey hitting a buzzer-beater to top Tech in Klamath Falls last month.
