CALDWELL, Idaho – Southern Oregon used a 15-2 run in the second half to pull away from the College of Idaho, outlasting the Lady Yotes, 79-66, inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
The No. 12 ranked Raiders (17-2, 8-2 CC) remain tied with Eastern Oregon atop the Cascade Conference standings, completing a season-sweep of C of I.
SOU held a 47-40 lead early in the second half, but the Yotes (6-13, 5-5) got an Alicia Jones lay-up, a Brittany Wirth 3-pointer, and four Alicia Hensey free throws, part of a 9-2 run to pull even at 49-49 with just under 12 minutes remaining.
The Raiders answered quickly, as back-to-back Carly Meister buckets and 3's from Autumn Durand and Ashley Claussen fueled the big run, giving Southern a 71-55 lead.
C of I made one final push, as Hayley Burnham delivered two consecutive 3-point plays to cut the margin to 73-66 with exactly two minutes left. However, Alexi Smith delivered a key basket on the next Raider possession to end the comeback hopes.
Early on, SOU jumped out to a quick 17-11 lead before the Yotes caught fire, with Hensey scoring six points in a 15-4 run to give the hosts their largest lead of the night at 26-21. The Raiders countered with five-straight Smith points, part of a 10-2 run to give SOU the lead, as the visitors took a 38-36 lead to the locker room.
Claussen had 18 points and nine rebounds and Smith recorded 18 points in the victory for Southern, with Meister scoring 17 points, adding 13 rebounds and five assists.
Burnham led C of I with 20 points, making 11-of-12 free throw attempts. Kellie Ross scored a career-high 15 points and six rebounds; Hensey had 15 points, five rebounds and five steals; with Wirth adding 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Lady Yotes return to action on tomorrow night, hosting Oregon Tech at 5:30 p.m.
