PORTLAND, Ore. – A 17-2 run late in the contest allowed the College of Idaho to survive upset-minded Multnomah University, as the Coyotes ran their win streak to seven in a row with a 99-88 victory at Jim Skagen Court.
Facing the No. 1 scoring offense in the NAIA Division II, the No. 2-ranked Yotes (19-2, 8-1 CCC) held the Lions to 1-of-8 shooting and forced four turnovers in the game-changing four-minute stretch in crunch time. The win helped C of I grab sole possession of first place in the Cascade Conference standings, a game clear of both Oregon Tech and Northwest Christian.
After three ties and nine lead changes in the second half, MU (11-8, 4-5) took an 81-80 lead on two Justin Martin free throws with five minutes left. But, as the Lions went cold, C of I caught fire –
Keun Palu-Thompson drained back-to-back triples and followed it with a mid-range jumper.
Talon Pinckney added a bucket and
Nate Bruneel converted a driving basket – pushing the Yotes lead to 92-83 – with the team hitting 7-of-11 free throws to clinch the win.
The Coyotes had control of the game for the first 15 minutes – using an early 13-1 run to take an 18-5 lead – extending the margin to 41-29 on a Bruneel jumper with five minutes left in the half. While C of I clamped down on Martin, the leading scorer in the NAIA, Ben Grandle and Brett Blackstock took over – Grandle scoring nine and Blackstock seven more – in a 16-0 run, helping the Lions take a 47-45 lead to the locker room.
C of I made 60-percent of their second half field goals – including 8-of-12 from 3-point range – in the victory, while tying a season-low with seven turnovers.
Palu-Thompson and Pinckney each scored 19 – combining for seven steals – with Bruneel and
Ivory Miles-Williams each scoring 12.
Blackstock led all scorers with 28 points and Grandle scored 21, with C of I limiting Martin to 16 points – half of his season average. MU finished the night 15-of-41 from 3-point range and had just six players see action until the final 10 seconds of the contest.
C of I returns home on Friday night to host Northwest Christian at 7:30 p.m.
