CALDWELL, Idaho – A career-night from
Dominique Jordan was not enough for the College of Idaho, as No. 12 ranked Southern Oregon used a second half surge to take command in an 85-79 victory over the Yotes, before 1,920 fans inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
Box Score The win for the Raiders (15-4, 8-1 CCC) kept the squad tied with Northwest Christian atop the Cascade Conference standings and ended a C of I 23-game league win streak, dating back to February of 2013.
A wild game that featured five ties and 14 lead changes – all in the span of a 15 minute stretch midway through the game – saw the visitors make two crucial second half runs to earn their first win in Caldwell since 2011.
The No. 25 ranked Yotes (11-7, 6-3) battled back from an early 16-2 deficit to take a 47-44 lead on a
Joey Nebeker 3-pointer five minutes into the second half. A
Marck Coffin runner in the paint gave C of I a 52-51 lead at the 13-minute mark of the second half – but a step-back jumper and steal and basket from Ben DeSaulnier, a Joel Spear lay-up and a Clay Sierra tip-in fueled an 8-0 SOU run to lead 59-52.
C of I came right back, as Jordan scored in transition, Coffin slammed home a missed shot and Nebeker finished after an SOU turnover – cutting the margin to 59-58. The Yotes, however, did not score for the next four minutes, as Sierra turned a pair of offensive rebounds into baskets, part of a 12-3 run that extended the Raiders lead to 71-61 – with free throws sealing the victory.
Southern jumped out quickly in the opening half, hitting 6-of-8 shots and holding C of I without a rebound for the first six minutes, sprinting to a 16-2 lead. The Yotes clawed back into the game behind Nebeker, hitting three triples in the opening 20 minutes, with Jordan splashing a 3-pointer late in the half to give the hosts their first lead at 34-32.
Jordan was 6-of-12 from long range, part of a 25 point night, adding a team-high four steals. Nebeker scored 17 of his 25 points in the first half for the Yotes, with
Aitor Zubizarreta scoring 10 points, with six rebounds and six assists.
Emanuel Morgan had just five points, but led the team with nine rebounds and 11 assists – becoming the first C of I player in program history with three straight games with double-digit assists.
The Raiders, who made 53-percent of their second half shots, had five players in double-figures, led by Jordan West's 21 points and seven rebounds. Spear had 15 points and 12 boards, with Sierra scoring 12 of his 15 points after halftime.
C of I returns to action tomorrow night, hosting Oregon Tech at 7:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear black shirts as part of a "Black Out" promotion.
