(PHOTO - Celebration After
Roosevelt Adams Late 3-Pointer; Courtesy - Chris Bronson, Idaho Press Tribune)
CALDWELL, Idaho – Late 3-pointers from Dominque Jordan and
Roosevelt Adams paved the way for the College of Idaho, as the Yotes grinded out a 65-60 victory over Northwest Christian, in a Top-25 match-up inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
Jordan canned a trey from the left corner to erase a 56-55 NCU (8-2, 2-1 CCC) lead, the only lead the No. 7 ranked Beacons would have on the night. After a Jay Mayernik lay-up pulled the teams even, Adams splashed a triple from the same spot to give C of I a lead they would not relinquish.
A pair of Jack Hackman free throws got the visitors within a point with 22 seconds left. After Adams missed the front end of a 1-and-1,
Aziz Leeks grabbed a key offensive rebound and
Aitor Zubizarreta drained two free throws to push the lead to 63-60. The Beacons had a chance for a tie, but Hackman rushed a 3-point attempt inside the final seconds and the No. 24 ranked Yotes (9-4, 2-1) corralled the rebound to close out the victory.
The Coyotes sprinted out of the gates, hitting their first three 3-point attempts, including a pair from Adams, opening the game on a 15-3 run. The lead would balloon to 27-12 following a
Joey Nebeker bank-shot, with C of I taking a 32-22 lead to the break.
NCU locked down the Yotes defensively in the second half, holding C of I to just 32-percent shooting from the field. A Hackman 3-pointer and a Brendyn Kelly runner pulled the Beacons within 42-39, with a Anthony Walker backdoor lay-up cutting the lead to 51-50 with four minutes left. Walker added two free throws with 1:44 remaining to give the visitors their lone lead of the game before the Coyote late barrage from outside swung the tide.
Adams led the Yotes with 13 points and eight rebounds, with Zubizarreta scoring 12 points, adding six rebounds and four assists. Jordan had nine points off the bench, with Leeks scoring seven points and logging 10 rebounds – as C of I held a commanding 45-32 edge on the glass, including 20 offensive boards.
Mayernik led all players with 20 points, converting 6-of-8 field goals, with Hackman scoring 16. Post Kylor Kelley had eight points, recording seven rebounds and six blocked shots in the loss. NCU had a four-game win streak snapped in the defeat.
C of I returns to action tomorrow night, hosting Corban at 7:30 p.m. The game will be heard live in the Treasure Valley on 101.5-FM, Kool Oldies.
