CALDWELL, Idaho – Another season, another wild chapter of the College of Idaho-Oregon Tech rivalry. Despite making just 29-percent of their field goals, the Yotes used 30 made free throws stellar defense down the stretch to rally past the Owls, 73-69, inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
Box Score C of I (12-7, 7-3 CCC) held OIT to just one made field goal over the final four minutes of the contest, erasing a 66-61 deficit by closing the game on a 12-3 run.
Aitor Zubizarreta, who led all scorers with 25 points, started the crucial run with a driving lay-up, with both
Emanuel Morgan and
Joey Nebeker draining a pair of free throws after defensive stops to give the Yotes their first lead of the second half at 67-66.
The two teams traded leads, with Joel Yellow Owl splitting two freebies with 64 seconds left to give Tech (14-5, 5-5) a 69-68 lead, before
Dominique Jordan converted a conventional 3-point play with 41 seconds remaining to give the hosts a two-point edge. The Yotes forced a turnover and a missed shot on OIT's final two possessions, with Mark Coffin and Morgan each making 1-of-2 free throws to close out the win.
The Owls jumped out to a 12-2 lead on the strength of four 3-point baskets, only to watch C of I quickly erase the deficit – tying the game at 21-21 on a Coffin triple. Three-straight Zubizarreta treys gave the Coyotes their largest lead of the night at 32-27 late in the first half. However, the Yotes went ice cold from the floor, missing 22-of-23 shots spanning the halves, as OIT snagged a 48-40 edge on a Lavar Moore 3-pointer with just under 12 minutes to play – setting the stage for the wild finish.
Zubizarreta had eight rebounds in the win, as the Yotes held a convincing 47-35 rebound edge, including 22 offensive boards. Nebeker was 13-of-14 from the foul line scoring 18 points with 11 rebounds; Coffin had 12 points and seven offensive boards; with Jordan scoring all 10 of his points in the second half.
Yellow Owl led OIT with 20 points, with Moore scoring 14 and Derek Evans 12. Tech made 11-of-27 3-point attempts, but were outscored 31-10 at the foul line.
C of I begins the second half of the CCC season on Tuesday, traveling to Eastern Oregon for a 7:30 p.m. (PT) tip.
