Box Score
CALDWELL, Idaho – Sienna Edmunson connected on two free throws with one minute left to break the 14th tie of the night, lifting The College of Idaho to a key 67-64 victory over No. 17 Eastern Oregon, inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
The win for the Lady Yotes (12-10, 9-5 CCC) pulled the squad into a three-way tie for second-place in the Cascade Conference standings and ended a four-game losing streak to the Mountaineers. It marked the ninth time in the last 12 meetings that the game had been decided by four points or less and the 11th time in 12 meetings neither team had eclipsed the 70-point barrier.
The victory for C of I also clinches their 15th-straight trip to the postseason, as the Lady Yotes secured one of the eight CCC Tournament berths.
A tight game throughout, Eastern (19-7, 11-3) took their largest lead of the night early in the second half at 41-36, only to watch Erica Martinez drain a three-pointer and convert a three-point play to give the hosts a one-point lead. EOU would regain the lead at 51-48 on a Payton Parrish three, but a 7-0 run, capped by a Chakala Carthen lay-up, gave C of I a 55-51 edge with eight minutes to play.
The Mountaineers had one last push, tying the score at 62-62 on a Nicole Redd baseline runner and at 64-64 on a Nikki Osborne driving lay-up, but the Yotes answered each time. Edmunson was fouled late in the shot clock and made both of her free throws, with C of I coming up big on the defensive end in the final minute– getting a Martinez steal, followed by a Dayna Drager block of a Redd jumper, to preserve the lead.
Martinez led the Lady Yotes with 21 points, while Carthen recorded her 14th double-double of the season, scoring 19 points and tying a career-high with 16 rebounds. Haylee Burnham was a spark off the bench in the first half, scoring all of her 10 points in the opening 20 minutes.
Brittney Newcomb led the Mountaineers with 19 points, connecting on 5-of-14 three-point tries – as EOU made just 10-of-34 shots from outside the arc in the loss. Redd had 17 points and seven rebounds, while Kassy Larson, who had 20 points and 16 rebounds in the first meeting last month, was held to eight points and five boards.
C of I returns to action on Friday night with a 5:30 p.m. tip at Northwest Christian.
