SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Four College of Idaho players scored in double-figures, with the Yotes playing Pac-12 power University of Utah even on the boards in a 96-76 exhibition loss to the Runnin' Utes before 10,244 fans inside the Huntsman Center.
Nate Bruneel scored the first eight points of the second half for the Coyotes, as C of I cut a 29-point halftime deficit to 59-39 with 17:21 left in the contest. The Division I program regained a 78-52 lead on a Charles Jones Jr. triple – but a
Keun Palu-Thompson 3-point play started an 11-0 run, with
Matt Meyers' lay-up with six minutes left pulling the visitors within 78-63 – before both teams emptied their benches.
"It's funny that we were in the situation we were in during the second half – being down by 30 at halftime and had to rally," said head coach
Colby Blaine. "In every practice, we talk about communicating and getting through adversity and the tough times and we responded very well. The leadership from our returners was outstanding and our newcomers made adjustments – we had grit, we had toughness – I didn't have to say much, it shows the type of players we have against a very talented Utah team."
Unlike the last meeting between the team, Utah stormed from the gates, as Timmy Allen scored four of his team-high 18 points in the 14-2 run. The Coyotes chipped away, as
Justin Saunders canned a trey, and both
Gibson Berryhill and
Talon Pinckney converted transition baskets to cut the gap to 16-11 – forcing the Utes to call a timeout. The hosts responded with a Vante Hendrix 3-point play and a Both Gach triple, part of a 14-3 run to break the game open – eventually leading 57-29 at half.
Palu-Thompson led all scorers with 19 points, with Bruneel scoring 12 and Saunders 11.
Connor Desaulniers had 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds, with Pinckney adding five assists, three rebounds and two steals. C of I finished 27-of-61 from the field and made 15-of-19 free throws, while losing the rebound batted to the Utes by a narrow 38-36 edge.
Gach scored 12 points off the bench for Utah, with 7-foot center Novak Topalovic scoring 11 points with 11 rebounds. The Utes scored 22 points off 18 C of I turnovers.
The Coyotes return to action next Friday, heading to Lewiston for the Clearwater River Casino Classic, meeting host Lewis-Clark State.
NOTES – It was the third time C of I has played in front of a crowd of over 10,000 fans – joining games at Utah in 2015 and at Arizona in 2016…the 20-point loss was the closest game C of I has played against a Pac-12 school (including games against Utah, Arizona and Stanford)...C of I outscored Utah 47-39 in the second half.
