PORTLAND, Ore. – In a game that featured 57 combined turnovers and 48 free throw attempts, Warner Pacific limited the College of Idaho to just 25-percent field goal shooting after halftime, rallying for a 76-59 victory inside C.C. Perry Gymnasium.
The Knights (9-6, 5-3 CCC) forced 30 turnovers, turning the miscues into 19 points, using a big third quarter run to grab the lead for good.
C of I (8-8, 6-4) controlled the first 15 minutes of the game – as
Mackenzie Royce had 10 first half points – with the Yotes opening the game on an 8-2 run and extended the lead to 29-21 on a Royce jumper with four minutes left in the second stanza.
Gabriella Bruno answered, canning a 3-pointer and turning a steal into a basket, part of a 13-5 run to close the quarter, as the teams took a 34-34 score to the break.
The Yotes took their final lead of the game at 38-37 on an
Alyssa Case jumper, but a Bruno 3-pointer and a Kendyl Cone 3-point play started a 12-2 run, with the hosts pushing the margin to 57-45 at the close of the third quarter. A
Hannah Maupin 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter pulled the Yotes within 59-50, but WPU scored 11 of the next 13 points to put the game away.
Royce finished with a team-high 11 points and five rebounds, Case had 10 points, six rebounds and five assists, with
Jocelyn Cook-Cox adding nine points and six rebounds. C of I lost despite a 39-31 rebound edge and forcing 27 WPU turnovers.
Bailey Allen led the Knights with 16 points and six steals, with both Cone and Bruno scoring 12. WPU made 15-of-25 field goals in the final two quarters.
The loss snapped a four-game win streak and a five-game road win streak for the Yotes – who close out the tour of Portland tomorrow night with a 5:30 p.m. (PT) tip-off at Multnomah.
