CALDWELL, Idaho – True freshman
Talon Pinckney scored 12 of his career-high 19 points in the second half, as the College of Idaho used a smothering defensive performance to cruise to a 77-53 victory over rival Northwest Nazarene in the United Heritage Insurance Mayors' Cup contest inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
In the 201st meeting between the Canyon County rivals, the Coyotes (6-1) used a dominating 47-29 edge on the glass – including 22 offensive rebounds – to record their biggest winning margin in the series since 1989.
The Division II Crusaders (2-1), who were playing the game as an exhibition, got a tip-in and a 3-pointer from Maurice Jones in a 7-0 run midway through the opening half to take their lone lead of the night at 15-13. The Yotes answered in a big way, as Pinckney answered with a triple and a contested lay-up,
Dominique Jordan canned a trey, and
Aziz Leeks hammered home a two-hand jam to start a 15-2 run that broke the game open. A late
Joey Nebeker 3-pointer gave C of I a 35-22 lead at halftime.
Consecutive buckets from Kaileb Rodriguez and a Bouna N'Diaye dunk got NNU within 40-30 with 16-minutes remaining – but the Coyote defense clamped down. A Pinckney triple got the lead to 50-37 – while holding the Crusaders without a made field goal for a seven minute stretch – methodically opening up the lead. An alley-oop dunk by
Aziz Leeks to 63-42, with
Emanuel Morgan hitting a trey to push the edge to 72-48 – allowing the Yotes to empty their bench.
Nebeker scored 14 points in the win, with Morgan scoring 10 points with six rebounds and four assists. Jordan finished with nine points, with Leeks scoring nine points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots. C of I hit 13 3-pointers in the win; used a 32-12 margin in bench points; and had a dominating 28-10 edge in points off turnovers.
Jones led NNU with 14 points and six rebounds, with Rodriguez scoring 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds. The Yotes, however, limited the three other Crusader starters to a combined 14 points, while forcing 19 turnovers on the evening.
C of I returns to action this weekend, hosting the Domino's Classic, meeting Rocky Mountain on Friday night and Montana Western on Saturday – with both match-ups tipping at 7 p.m.
