CALDWELL, Idaho –
Talon Pinckney stole a half-court pass with two seconds remaining and ran out the clock, as the College of Idaho outlasted Southern Oregon, 72-69, in a match-up of Top-15 teams inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
The second-ranked Coyotes (13-1, 2-0 CCC) made 15-of-17 free throws in the second half and withstood a 37-percent shooting night to run their home win streak to 10 in a row.
The Raiders (9-3, 0-2) erased a 36-29 halftime deficit, holding the Yotes without a made field goal for the first five minutes of the period – with a Tez Allen free throw line jumper giving the No. 13-ranked team in the NAIA a 51-46 lead with 10 minutes to play.
C of I countered – scoring 13 of the next 17 points – as a
Justin Saunders top of the key 3-pointer started the run and a steal and transition bucket from Keun Palu Thompson giving the Yotes a 59-55 lead with 5:30 remaining.
A corner triple and a backdoor layup from Jordan Hunt gave SOU their final lead at 60-59 – before a pair of
Matt Meyers free throws and a Palu-Thompson 3-point play gave the hosts a four point lead. Free throws were the key – as the Yotes made 6-of-7 attempts inside the final 90 seconds, before a miss with three seconds left gave the Raiders a chance. However, after Tez Allen grabbed the rebound, his pass to half court, intended for Teron Bradford, was picked off by Pinckney and the clock ran out.
Both Hunt and Tristen Holmes scored 21 points for the Raiders – with Hunt scoring three early baskets as SOU bolted to a 19-7 lead after the opening nine minutes. C of I returned the favor in a big way, as
Nate Bruneel scored seven consecutive points at one stretch, with the Yotes using a 24-6 run to take their first lead and build the seven-point halftime edge.
Meyers had 14 points and five offensive rebounds in the victory,
Gibson Berryhill scored 13, with Palu-Thompson adding 12. C of I forced 13 turnovers – turning the mistakes into 17 points. The win improved the Coyotes to 3-0 this season against Top-25 teams.
SOU made 57-percent of their second half field goals, but made just 5-of-19 3-point attempts in the loss.
The Yotes return to action on Monday, traveling to Missoula for an exhibition game at the University of Montana.
